Skip to main content

Full text of "Syntax Magazine"

See other formats


SYNTAX  ZX80' 

A  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  HARVARD  GROUP 


VOL.  3  NO.  5  ISSN  0273-2696  MAY,  1982 


IN  THIS  ISSUE 


Important  Notice . 17 

4K  Programs 

IC  Inventory . 18 

8K  Programs 

ZX81  Intro . 17 

Beginners  Columns 

BASIC-Inkey$ . 8 

ML-Register/Register . 1 6 

Classified  Ads . 20 

Dear  Editor . 10 

FORTH  on  ZX8l . 9 

Hardware  Projects 

Memory  Decoding . 5 

Problem-Solvers . 6 

2K  Conversion . 14 

Logic  Chip  Failure . 4 

Microsync  Speaks . 14 

News,  New  Products .. 1 , 2 , 4 
Numbers  Held  Inexactly.. 3 

Program  Corrections . 2 

Program  Improvements ....  2 


Removing  ICs  Cheaply... 20 
Software  Review 

New  England  Software. 19 

Subscription  Info . 23 

Tips  and  Hints 

Hardware . 2,3,18,19 

Software . 17 

Users'  Groups . 2 


Index  of  Advertisers 


Bani-Tech . 3 

LJH  Enterprises . 17 

Kopak  Creations . 16 

Memotech  Corp . 7 

S&S  Co . 15 

Sinclair  Research...  1  2 , 1  3 

Softsync . 3,11 

Zeta  Software . 8 


Bindaii-  inaa 


Timex,  the  watch  company  that  has  always 
built  Sinclair  computers,  will  market  and 
distribute  Sinclair-based  products  in  North 
and  Central  America  and  the  Carribean 
beginning  this  year.  Note  the  new  name — 
Timex-Sincla ir  1000.  This  computer  is  a 
virtual  twin  to  the  ZX81,  except  for  an  extra 
IK  RAM  under  the  hood  (2K  total). 

Watch  for  these  other  changes: 

Price — TS  1000  will  sell  for  $99.95 
assembled.  There  will  be  no  more  kits.  16K 
RAM  packs  will  go  for  $49.95. 

Availability — Expect  computers,  software,  and 
peripherals  from  Timex  to  be  in  greater 
supply  than  from  Sinclair.  According  to  the 
agreement  with  Sinclair,  Timex  must  meet 
certain  production  levels  (about  3x  current 
level).  You  will  be  able  to  buy  computers, 
etc.,  at  Timex'  100,000  retail  outlets, 
including  drug  and  department  stores. 

Other  Products — Timex  just  announced 
availability  of  two  new  products  for  4th 
quarter  1982:  direct  connect  modem  ($99.95) 
and  printer  ($99.95).  The  printer  shown  at  a 
recent  press  conference  looked  identical  to 
Sinclair's  UK  ZX  printer,  although  we  expect 
the  shielding  is  improved  to  satisfy  the  FCC. 
The  modem  will  allow  TS1000  and  ZX'8l  users  to 
access  any  phone-up  data  base. 

Additionally,  Timex  plans  to  offer  25-30 
assorted  educational  and  business  software 
packages  in  July  1982,  from  $9 . 95-$1 9 . 95 . 

According  to  Timex  Product  Manager  Bill 
Skyrme,  Timex  is  very  interested  in  customer 
support.  The  TS  1000  will  come  with  a  manual 
for  beginning  BASIC  programmers.  Timex  will 
continue  Sinclair's  90-day  warranty  policy. 
Service  will  probably  be  handled  through 
Timex'  Little  Rock,  AR,  facility,  where 
watches  are  repaired  in  24  hours.  We  expect 
Timex  to  maintain  this  level  of  service  to 
their  computer  customers. 


Return  your  white  renewal 
card  early  for  free 
SYNTAX  magazine  binder. 


1 


SYNTAX  ERRORS:  Walter  West  reports 
that  Phone  Number  Generator 
(Feb. 82)  gives  only  729  combina¬ 
tions  as  printed.  Change  line  110 
to  110  NEXT  Z  to  get  all  218?. 

PROGRAM  IMPROVEMENTS 

William  Wentz  of  Rio  Rancho, 
NM,  sent  this  improvement  to  Frank 
O'Hara's  Program  1  (from  his 
articles  on  Numbers  Held  Inexactly, 
Mar.  &  Apr. 82).  He  says  that  on 
ZX8ls  with  3.25K  of  memory  or  less, 
the  variable  VARS  in  line  20  is  not 
constant,  but  keeps  moving  up  as 
the  display  file  (screen)  is  used. 
To  improve  the  program  for  any 
memory  size,  change  these  lines: 

15  FOR  J=1  TO  5 
30  LET  IrV+J 
50  NEXT  J 

NEW  PRODUCT  ANNOUNCEMENTS 

F/22  Press  now  offers  Dark- 
star,  a  program  to  solve  problems 
for  photographers  in  the  dark-room. 
You  need  a  ZX81  with  16K  RAM.  The 
program  chooses  exposure  and 
processing  times  for  both  black  and 
white  and  color  work.  Darkstar 
tape  and  documentation,  $99.95. 

For  free  info,  contact  Robert 
Martin,  F/22  Press,  P.O.  Box  141, 
Leonia,  NJ  07605,  201/568-6250. 

RKL  Systems  of  Leominster,  MA, 
offers  16K  RAM  (expandable  to  32K), 
32K  RAM,  and  single  and  double 
joysticks  for  ZX80/8ls.  Units  are 
fully  assembled  and  tested.  Joy¬ 
sticks  come  with  directions  for 
machine  code  programs  using  joy¬ 
stick.  Prices:  16K  RAM — 79.95; 

32K  RAM — 149.95;  single  joystick — 
69.95;  double— 89.95;  16K  to  32K 
upgrade — 79.95.  Special  prices  on 
package  deals.  RKL  Systems,  P.O. 
Box  515,  Leominster,  MA  01453. 

Memotech  Corp.,  Oxford,  UK, 
now  sells  their  $179.95  64K  RAM 
pack  in  the  US  directly  and  through 
distributors.  It  plugs  directly 


into  the  computer  and  runs  off  the 
existing  power  supply.  It  provides 
up  to  15K  of  RAM  for  BASIC  programs 
with  32K  left  for  arrays  and  vari¬ 
ables.  Or  you  can  cut  back  the 
BASIC  and  fill  up  to  45K  with 
arrays.  Another  8K  can  be  used  for 
machine  code  or  data  without  being 
affected  by  NEW  and  RUN  commands. 

They  also  plan  a  1 6K  RAM  pack, 
high  resolution  graphics  pack, 
digitising  pad,  and  RS232  and  Cen¬ 
tronics  interface.  Memotech  Corp., 
7550  Westyale  Ave.,  Suite  220, 
Denver,  CO  80227,  303/986-0016. 

USERS'  GROUPS 

Here's  this  month's  list  of 
new  ZX  users'  groups.  Send  us  word 
of  your  group  and  we'll  send  local 
users  to  you.  To  locate  a  group  in 
your  area,  send  us  a  SASE  and  we'll 
tell  you  what  we  know. — AZ 

Sacramento,  CA:  Contact  William 
Madden,  PO  Box  8201,  Sacramento,  CA 
95818,  916/444-6780. 

North  Dakota:  Contact  K.  Allen 
Ward  and  Lonnie  Misner,  520  Tulane 
#205,  Grand  Forks,  ND,  58201  . 

St.  Paul,  MN:  Contact  Tom 
Lindquist,  1740  Beechwood  Ave.,  St. 
Paul,  MN  55116. 

Indianapolis,  IN:  Contact  Andrew 
Thomas,  2804  E.  55th  PI.,  Suite  Q, 
Indianapolis,  IN  46220. 

Memphis,  TN:  Contact  Jimmie 
Barker,  3791  Barron  Ave.,  Memphis, 
TN  38111,  901/327-2158. 

Need  fast  ZX80/81  service?  Jim 
Burliegh  of  Dover,  DE,  reports  that 
National  Electronics  III  fixed  his 
partially-assembled  ZX8l  kit  for 
$24.95  (2.5  hours  work  plus  ship¬ 
ping).  Door-to-door  by  UPS  took  8 
days.  National  Electronics  III, 
10425  Kingston  Pike,  Concord,  TN 
37922,  615/690-8927,  Jeff  Thompson, 
manager . 


2 


NUMBERS  HELD  INEXACTLY  ON  THE  ZX81 
(Part  3  of  Dr.  O'Hara’s  article) 


What  is  the  largest  integer 
a  ZX8l  holds  exactly?  The  manual 
is  wrong  in  saying  that  2^^  is  the 
largest.  The  largest  is  really 

ie.,  this  39-digit  num¬ 
ber:  1701411834208551504745551 

34919112130560.  Surprised? 

The  manual  is  trying  to  say 
that  every  integer  up  to  and 
including  2^^ — not  just  2^^-1 — can 
be  held  exactly  on  the  ZX81.  More¬ 
over,  2^^  is  the  largest  integer 
for  which  this  is  true^  But  every 
even  integer  between  2^^  and 
every  multiple  of  4  between  2^^  and 
2^^,  and  in  general,  each  multiple 
of  2*^  between  2‘^and  for  n  =  0, 

1,  2, ...94  can  be  held  ex  a  c  1 1  y . 

And  every  multinle  of  2^^  up  to  and 
including  can  be  held 

exactly  as  well.  2'^'-2^^  is  held 
as  255,127,255,255,255  and  you 
can't  squeeze  another  bit  into 
that;  the  one  spare  is  needed  for 
the  sign.  Because  of  overflow  and 
another  ZX81  oddity,  you  may  have 
difficulty  in  getting  this  number 
into  Program  1  (SYNTAX  Mar.& 

Apr. 82).  This  works: 
2*(2**126-2**95+2**94) 

But  what  of  printing?  2^^+2 
can  be  printed  exactly:  PRINT 
2**32+2  (gives  4294967300).  Armed 
with  this  information,  enter: 

PRINT  "42";2**32+2-42E8  This  gives 
4294967298,  an  exact  result.  But 
2^^  (17592186044416)  can't  be 
printed  by  this  method,  as  175921E8 
is  not  divisible  hy  2'^. 

In  theory,  2^’  could  be  so 
printed,  but  a  bit  is  lost  in  sub¬ 
traction  on  a  right  shift  and  is 
not  retrieved.  The  largest  power 
of  2  for  which  it  works  is  2^". 

PRINT  2**39  gives  549755810000 
and  PRINT  "5497'';2**39-5497E8  gives 
the  exact  result  549755813888. 

Moral:  Don't  believe  everything 

you  read  in  manuals!  Things  can  be 
better,  as  well  as,  worse. 

Frank  O'Hara,  Surbiton,  UK 

3 


CUBE 

A  scientific  approach  to  solving  the 
Cube.  This  program  allows  you  to  set  up  and  move 
the  Cube  in  any  configuration,  gives  you  a  choice  of 
displays  --  two  dimensional,  three  dimensional  and 
flat  --  and  remembers  every  move. 

I6K  $14.95 

THE  CHECK  BOOK— 

Get  rid  of  the  draw  full  of  old  checks^ 
and  end  the  monthly  hassle  of  checkbook  balancing  with  THE 
CHECK  BOOK.  This  personal  or  business  checking  account 
program  stores  up  to  250  transactions  on  a  single  program.  Over 
3600  transactions  can  be  permanently  stored  on  a  single  cassette. 
THE  CHECK  BOOK  provides  all  transaction  information  and  memos 
and  will  sort  by  date,  latest  transactions  or  alphabetically. 

I6K  $14.95 


BACKGAMMON 


This  classic  game  of  skill  and  luck  has 
been  transformed  into  an  exciting  ZX81  game  using  fast  and 
efficient  machine  code  and  detailed  graphics.  Backgammon  has  a 
choice  of  four  levels  of  skill  and  features  screen  displayed  rolling 
diceand  doubling  cube.  16K  $14  95 


CYBORG  WARS' 


Rule  your  own  country  on  a  small 
asteroid  in  our  galaxy.  You  are  provided  with  secret  reports  of 
resources  like  population  figures,  stockpiled  arms  and  rations  and 
must  utilize  your  Breeders,  Farmers,  Workers  and  Soldiers 
effectively.  If  you  do  you  may  take  over  the  entire  asteroid.  If  you 
don’t  you’ll  be  faced  with  insurrection.  Play  against  the  computer  or 


VU-CALC 


Turn  your  ZX81  into  an  immensely 
powerful  analysis  chart.  VU-CALC  constructs,  generates  and 
calculates  large  tables  for  such  diverse  applications  as  financial 
analysis,  budget  sheets  and  projections.  Using  a  choice  of  grids  and 
formulas  you  can  quickly  and  easily  set  up  an  entire  business  or 
household  financial  management  program.  ^  g|^  g  gg 

"  “  "pLUriW^TlORT  ScaT  PROGRAMS  “  " 

WRITE  FOR  FREE  CATALOG 

Please  send  me: 

_ copies  of  CUBE  @  $14.95  ea 

_ copies  of  BACKGAMMON  @  $14.95  ea 

► _ copies  of  THE  CHECK  BOOK  @  $14.95  ea 

_ copies  of  CYBORG  WAR$  @  $14.95  ea 

_ copies  of  VU-CALC  @  $1,9.95  ea 

Add  $1.50  shipping  and  handling. 

New  York  residents  add  sales  tax. 

SEND  CHECK  OR  MONEY  ORDER  TO: 

StJFTSYIVQUMC. 

PQ  Box  480  Murray  Hill  Station.  New'ibrk.N.Y  10156 

NAME _ 

ADDRESS _ 

CITY _ 


STATE/ZIP 


SINCLAIR  UK  UNVEILS  NEW  COMPUTER 

After  much  speculation  about 
Clive  Sinclair's  "ZX82,"  few  were 
prepared  for  his  latest  computer, 
announced  in  London  in  late  April. 
Not  the  ZX82,  but  the  SPECTRUM. 
Besides  the  new  machine,  Sinclair 
announced  a  reported  100K  Micro¬ 
drive  (3"  floppy)  for  the  end  of 
1982.  They  dropped  their  UK  16K 
RAM  price  by  £20,  but  raised  the  UK 
printer  price  to  £59.95.  Sinclair 
US  won't  know  if  their  RAM  prices 
will  drop  until  late  May. 

The  8x5x1"  Spectrum  machine  is 
memory-mapped  and  comes  with  16K 
ROM  and  16K  or  48K  RAM  on  board 
(16K  is  upgradeable  to  48K  with  an 
internal  expansion  board).  It  uses 
a  Z80A  processor  at  3.5  MHz.  No 
built-in  flat  screen  TV  yet.  The 
new  computer  offers  8  foreground 
and  8  background  colors  and  10 
octaves  of  sound  through  an  inter¬ 
nal  loudspeaker.  The  color  display 
is  also  memory-mapped  and  gives 
normal  or  extra  brightness  and 
flashing  or  steady  mode. 

Technically,  the  new  machine 
is  not  incompatible  with  ZX8ls,  but 
Spectrum  uses  a  different,  faster 
(1500  baud)  cassette  interface,  so 
you  cannot  directly  load  ZX8l 
tapes.  According  to  Sinclair, 

"ZX8l  programs  may  be  typed  into 
the  Spectrum  with  minor  changes." 
The  Spectrum  will  work  with  the  ZX 
printer,  but  not  with  Sinclair's 
16K  RAM  pack.  But  it  includes  an 
RS232  interface,  so  hooking  up 
other  printers  should  be  possible. 
Also,  Sinclair  said  Spectrum  "may 
be  rendered  teletext  compatible." 

The  ZX8l's  8K  ROM  is  a  subset 
of  the  new  16K  ROM,  so  the  16K  ROM 
includes  all  features  of  the  8K 
ROM,  plus  up  to  52  user-defined 
functions.  Single  keys  control  all 
BASIC  commands  and  functions,  16 
graphics  characters,  20  color  codes 
and  21  user-definable  graphics 
characters.  The  Spectrum  also  has 
a  full-size  40  moving-key  ASCII 
calculator-type  keyboard  with  auto¬ 


repeat,  and  full  upper/lower  case. 

SLOW  and  FAST  are  no  more;  the 
Spectrum  operates  at  the  FAST  mode 
speed,  but  with  a  steady  display. 

It  also  has  a  VERIFY  feature, 
enabling  you  to  check  complete 
storage  of  data  and  MERGE,  which 
combines  programs  in  memory  with 
those  on  cassette.  Other  new 
features  include  multistatement 
lines,  READ-DATA-RESTORE  functions, 
and  a  real-time  clock. 

Great,  but  what  about  the 
important  details?  At  first, 
Sinclair  will  sell  the  Spectrum  by 
mail  order  in  the  UK  only.  Price: 
£125  for  16K  RAM  and  £175  for  48K 
RAM.  The  optional  16  to  48K  RAM 
upgrade  will  be  £60.  Don't  expect 
to  see  the  Spectrum  machine  in 
North  America  until  around  December 
1982,  when  Timex  will  presumably 
handle  it.  US  prices  are  not  set, 
but  at  press  time  the  British  pound 
was  worth  about  $1.70  US. 

Sinclair  also  announced  26  new 
ZX8I  software  packages  developed  by 
ICL  and  Psion  in  England  and  avail¬ 
able  in  the  UK  in  May.  The  pack¬ 
ages  include  record  keeping,  games, 
and  educational  tapes.  Most  use 
1 6K  RAM.  Expect  these  to  be 
available  in  the  US  in  late  May. 

LOGIC  CHIP  FAILURE  SYMPTOMS 

Milton  Halpern  of  Plainview, 
NY,  deduced  that  his  ZX81  logic 
chip  (ICl)  had  failed  from  the  key¬ 
board  line  and  diode  matrix. 

Here's  a  chart  of  the  symptoms: 

KBD  DIODE  NUMBER 

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 

0-------- 

1  2  W  9  S  0  Z  L  . 

23E8DIXKM 

45R6GYVHB 

Chart  shows  result  of  jumper 
contact  from  KBD  line  to  diode 
number.  "-"  means  oscillation  or 
blank  screen.  His  K  cursor  was 
normal  at  the  start.  He  got  a  new 
logic  chip  from  Sinclair  and  now 
the  ZX81  works  fine. 


4 


MEMORY  DECODING  ABOVE  16K 

Sinclair  made  the  ZX81  RAM 
easy  to  decode  up  to  16K,  but  you 
may  want  to  add  memory  beyond  this 
point.  To  add  more  than  16K  memory 
to  your  ZX80/81,  you  must  do  more 
than  just: 

aTs  and  Iv\  and  aTs  =  ROM  CS 

You’ll  also  need  to  account  for  the 
behavior  of  the  display  file. 

If  you  decode  your  1st  16K 
block  with  A14=1  and  A15=0,  the 
system  crashes.  ZX  computers  need 
the  display  file  active  for  dis¬ 
play,  and  the  8K  ROM  makes  A15  high 
during  display.  You  can  use  the 
relation : 

A14  AND  (Ml  OR  rr5)=RAM  CS  0-16K 
To  get  the  second  16K  block  use; 

aT4  and  A15=RAM  CS  16-32K 
Get  the  3rd  16K  block  using: 


— BANI-TECH 

Software  of  the  Month  Club 

Get  the  most  from  your  ZX81  with  16K,  use  it  to 
ifs  full  potential,  while  building  an  impressive  in¬ 
ventory  of  software.  Receive  twelve  Hsted  programs— 
one  a  month.  Programs  like  Income  Tax  Recording, 
Auto  Maintenance,  Household  Expenses,  Price  of 
Gold  Forecasting,  Diet  Planning,  Scrooge’s  Christmas 
Gift  and  Card  List  and  many,  many  more  for  the 
incredibly  low  price  of  just  $19.95  per  year.  Save 
your  valuable  time  and  get  down  to  basics! 

Make  checks  payable  to  BANI-TECH 
P.O.Box  1568 
Princeton,  N.J.  08540 

□  My  check  for  $19.95  is  enclosed. 

Please  charge  my  □  Mastercard  □  Visa 

Account  Number _ Exp _ 

Signature _ 


Address . 


A14  AND  A15  AND  M1=RAM  CS  32-48K  All  Gates-- 74LS00 


Sinclair  RAMs  lack  this 
decoding;  you  must  add  it  to  stack 
16K  modules. 

Use  of  high-memory  sites  is 
limited  by  the  8K  ROM.  You  can’t 
run  Z80  machine  language  routines 
here,  nor  extend  the  display  file 
past  32768.  Store  variables  and 
arrays  in  these  high  locations. 

To  find  the  end  of  the  display 

file, 

PRINT  PEEK  16400+256*PEEK  16401. 
With  the  extended  memory,  you  must 
POKE  16388,255  &  POKE  16389,255  & 
NEW,  after  you  power  up,  but  before 
you  load  any  program.  (The  ZX8l 
only  checks  memory  addresses  up  to 
32768,  and  sets  RAMTOP  there  when 
you  power  up.)  If  you  poke  RAMTOP 
too  high,  your  computer  will  set  it 
correctly  after  the  NEW  command. 


John  L.  Oliger 
Indianapolis,  IN 


Ml 


32-48K 


PROBLEM-SOLVING  CIRCUITS 


If  your  power  line  voltage  is 
120V  or  higher  and  you  use  a  16K 
RAM,  heat  build-up  in  the  ZX81  is  a 
problem.  Reducing  the  power  supply 
voltage  to  the  unit  from  about  10 
VDC  to  8V  with  a  pre-regulator  will 
lower  ZX81  regulator  dissipation  by 
40%.  Voltage  above  8V  is  mostly 
ripple  and  only  heats  up  the  ZX8l . 

My  pre-regulator  was  built 
from  junk  parts,  but  commercially 
available  units  should  work  as 
well.  The  circuit  in  Fig.  1  is 
adapted  from  National  Semiconductor 
Application  notes.  Use  a  suitable 
heat  sink  with  the  LM  340-8. 


If  you're  troubled  by  line 
interruptions,  a  simple  circuit  of 
4  or  5  silicon  diodes  in  series 
with  a  12V  car  or  boat  battery  will 
take  over  on  line  failure  and 
prevent  program  loss.  Any  silicon 
diode  rated  at  1A  or  above  works 
OK.  Since  the  forward  voltage 
varies,  try  4  or  5  in  series  to  get 
8-8. 5V  into  the  ZX8l  while 
operating.  A  small  trickle  charger 
will  keep  the  battery  charged,  or 
use  a  normal  charger  occasionally. 

Or  you  could  operate  only 
from  the  battery  and  not  use  the 
plug-in  ZX81  supply.  The  9" 
portable  TV  I  use  as  a  monitor  also 
operates  directly  from  12VDC. 

Ed  Buttenhoff,  Grand  Rapids,  MN 


Radio  Shack  #274-297  Radio  Shack  #274-286 

1/8”  Pin  Jack  1/8”  Pin  Plug 


From  power 
supply  10  VDC 


8VDC  to  ZX81 


FIGURE  1 


On-off  swi 


+ 


4  or  5  1N4001  silicon  diodes 


8VDC  output 
to  ZX81 


Splice  the  output  leads  into  the  ZX81  power  supply  leads 
or  use  a  1/8”  Y  adapter. 

FIGURE  2 


6 


—  - 


Can  you  improve  excellence? 

We  can.  By  adding  our  Memotech  Memopak  to  the  excellence  of  the  ZX81 

we  have  achieved  perfection. 


The  growth  of  interest  in  computer  use 
caused  by  the  introduction  of  the  Sinclair 
ZX81  has  made  new  and  exciting 
demands  on  the  ingenuity  of  electronic 
engineers.  At  Memotech  we  have 
focused  our  attention  on  the  design  of 
inexpensive,  reliable  memory 
extensions. 

The  Memopak  is  a  64K  RAM  pack 
which  extends  the  memory  of  the  ZX81 
by  a  further  56K.  The  new  memory 
extensions  are  designed  to  be  within  the 
price  range  expected  by  Sinclair  users.  It 
plugs  directly  into  the  back  of  the  ZX81 
and  does  not  inhibit  the  use  of  the 
printer  or  other  add-on  boards.  There  is 
no  need  for  an  additional  power  supply 
or  leads. 

Increase  your  memory. 

The  Memopak  together  with  the  ZX81 
gives  a  full  64K,  which  is  neither 
switched  nor  paged,  and  is  directly 
addressable.  The  unit  is  user 
transparent  and  accepts  such  basic 
commands  as  10  DIM  A(9000). 

m€noT€cn 


Memotech  Corp. 
7550  W.  Yale  Ave. 
Suite  220 
Denver  Co.  80227 
Ph.  (303)  986-0016 


0-8K  .  .  .  Sinclair  ZX81  ROM 
8-1 6K  .  .  .  This  section  of  memory 
switches  in  or  out  in  4K  blocks  to  leave 
space  for  memory  mapping,  holds  Its 
contents  during  cassette  loads,  allows 
communication  between  programs,  and 
can  be  used  to  run  assembly  language 
routines. 

16-32K  .  .  .  This  area  can  be  used  for 
basic  programs  and  assembly  language 
routines. 

32-64K  .  .  .  32K  of  RAM  memory  for 
basic  variables  and  large  arrays. 

With  the  Memopak  extension  the 
ZX81  is  transformed  into  3  powerful 
computer,  suitable  for  business,  leisure 
and  educational  use,  at  a  fraction  of  the 
cost  of  comparable  systems. 


Free  service  on  your  Memopak. 

Within  the  first  90  days,  should 
anything  go  wrong  with  your  Memopak 
return  it  to  us  and  we  will  fix  or  replace  it 
free  of  charge. 

Try  Memopak  with  no  obligation. 

You  can  use  our  Memopak  in  your 
home  without  obligation.  After  10  days,  if 
you  are  not  completely  satisfied,  simply 
return  It  for  a  full  refund. 


r„ 


ixg- 


Mail  to:  Memotech  Corp.  7550  W.  Yale  Ave.  Suite  220  Denver,  Colo. 

80227 

I  understand  that  if  I’m  not  completely  satisfied,  I  can  return  my  Memopak  in  10  days  for  a 


1 


full  refund. 

Price 

Oty. 

Amount 

Memopak  64k  RAM 

$  179.95 

□  Check 

Memopak  I6k  RAM 

$  79.95 

□  Visa  □  MC 

Shipping  and  Handling 

$  4.95  J 

$  4.95 

Exp. 

Total 

Act.  No.  . 


Signature  _ 


Name_ 

Street 


City 


State 


Zip 


L 


T  U.S.  Dollars 


BEGINNER'S  BASIC— INKEY$  FUNCTION 

The  INKEY$  function,  though 
more  obscure  than  commands  like 
SAVE  and  RUN,  is  simple  to  use  and 
adds  a  nice  touch  to  your  programs. 

INKEY$  plus  a  PAUSE  command 
causes  your  ZX81  to  wait,  watching 
the  keyboard  until  the  user  presses 
a  key.  That  key  is  then  accepted 
as  input  and  the  program  proceeds. 

Substitute  INKEY$  for  an  INPUT 
line.  Say  your  program  asks  the 
user  to  choose  between  3  options. 
Line  100  might  read: 

100  PRINT  "CHOOSE  THE  MONTH  YOU 

WISH;  1.  JAN  2.  FEB  3.  MAR" 

You  could  follow  this  with 

110  INPUT  X 

120  IF  X=1  THEN  GOTO... 

130  IF  X  =  2  THEN  GOTO...  etc. 

The  user  must  press  his  desired 
number,  then  ENTER  or  NEWLINE. 

When  the  input  is  a  single 
digit,  you  can  use  the  INKEY$  func¬ 
tion  instead: 

no  IF  INKEY$  =  "1"  THEN  GOTO... 


120  IF  INKEY$r"2"  THEN  GOTO. ..etc. 
Note  that  you  must  include  "  " 
marks  in  the  INKEY$  statement. 

With  this  kind  of  input,  the 
user  just  presses  his  choice  and 
the  ZX81  carries  on.  Reducing  the 
time  and  steps  for  input  makes  the 
program  simpler  for  the  user. 

You  must  also  include  a  PAUSE 
statement  BEFORE  the  INKEY$  lines. 
The  PAUSE  makes  the  computer  wait. 
Add  a  line  like; 

105  PAUSE  500 

The  ZX81  waits  about  10  seconds  for 
input.  Vary  this  time  by  changing 
the  number  after  the  PAUSE. 
Experiment  to  find  a  good  time  for 
your  program.  If  you  have  an  old 
8K  ROM,  add  a  POKE  16437,255  line 
after  the  PAUSE.  (To  check  your 
ROM  ,  see  p.1  9. ) 

Keep  this  in  mind:  INKEY$ 
doesn't  wait,  so  the  user  cannot 
correct  a  mistake  using  the  RUBOUT 
key.  Use  INKEY$  for  input  when  you 
want  a  fast-moving  program  and  your 
user  has  little  chance  of  error. 


ZX81  OWNERS  with  16K  RAM! 
IT'S  READY— ARE  YOU? 


$14.95  + 
2.50  S&H 


If  so.  you  get; 
*24-row/fun-screen  displays 
*Near1y  2K  of  machine  code 
for  FAST  real-time  graphics 
*A  4K  Star  Atlas  as  the  moving 
backdrop  during  enemy  engagements 


16K  Programs  for  either  ZX80-8K  or  ZX81 

*PLANE  FRAME-model 1 ing  for  engineers 
*FUNDAMENTAL  ANALYSIS-for  stocks  investors 
*P0LSAT  &  GEOSAT-space  age  Ham  Radio  uses 
*MATH  PAK-Routines  &  Fit,  Variance  Analyzer, 
Statistics,  and  RPN  Calculator 

*E,S.P.-test  your  precognition 
*Many  others  plus  6  IK  6-paks 
including  Machine  Code 
WRITE  for  free  catalog.  (In 
Europe,  send  U$1  bill  or  DM2  stamp: 
DELTAS0FT/0sterfeldstr.79D/D-2000  Hamburg  54  GER) 


*9-each  fuel  and  skill  levels  that 
are  interlocked  for  more  "reality"  ^ 
*4  ways  to  lose — no  fuel,  no  oxygen,  o 

no  gun  power,  or  no  shields.  1  way  ^ 

to  win — destroy  ALL  enemy  craft.  ^ 

*An  enemy  data  generator  imbedded  in 
the  run  as  part  of  the  "action"  ^  - 

*"Blink"-less  pauses  in  BASIC 
*Stick-on/peel-off  custom  keys 
*In-depth  booklet  explaining  both  o  = 
the  "game"  and  the  program  oj 

*Shipped  on  a  certified  cassette  q-co 

1  copy  each  side 


fTlail  coupon  or  copy  with  payment  to: 

I  ZETA  Software/PO  Box  3522/Greenvi 1 le,SC  29608 

I  Enclosed  is  $ _  DCheck  □ _ 

I  for - copy(ies)  of  SCOUT  FIGHTER  ZX81  16K 

I  plus  $2.50  S&H  for  the  order. 

I  NAME 


ADDRESS 


CITY/STATE/ZIP _ 

Please  allow  4  weeks  if  paid  by  check. 


8 


PUTTING  FORTH  ON  ZX80/81S 


Although  BASIC  is  the  most 
common  language  for  programming 
microcomputers,  it  is  not  the  only 
one.  Your  ZX80  or  81  can  learn 
FORTH,  another  high  level  language. 
(For  an  intro  to  FORTH,  check  out 
Byte  Aug.  80.)  FORTH  has  several 
advantages  over  other  languages  in 
certain  applications,  particularly 
in  computers  as  controllers. 

Artie  Computing  announced  that 
they  were  developing  FORTH  on  an 
EPROM  (erasable  programmable  read 
only  memory)  for  the  ZX8l,  to  be 
available  in  April.  No  word  yet  on 
their  success.  The  package,  2  4K 
EPROMs  on  a  board  with  users 
manual,  sells  for  £60,  or  about 
$102  US.  For  info,  contact  Richard 
Turner,  Artie  Computing,  396  James 
Reckitt  Ave,  Hull,  England  HU8  OJA. 

Richard  Holmes  of  Batavia,  IL, 
has  partially  implemented  FORTH  on 
his  ZX80  with  8K  ROM  and  16K  RAM. 

He  reports: 

My  starting  point  was  Threaded 
Interpretive  Language  by  R.G. 
Loeliger  ($18.95  from  Byte  Books, 

70  Main  St.,  Peterborough,  NH). 

This  book  contains  most  of  the 
assembly  code  needed  to  implement 
FORTH  on  a  Z80-based  computer.  It 
certainly  makes  the  job  easier,  as 
long  as  you  watch  for  the  occasion¬ 
al  typo.  The  worst  problem  with 
the  book  is  that  Loeliger's  divi¬ 
sion  routines  are  faulty. 

The  book  doesn't  give  routines 
to  make  FORTH  work  with  the  ZX80/81 
configuration.  I  had  to  write  3 
main  machine-dependent  routines — 
$ECH0  (writes  a  character  to  the 
screen),  $KEY  (displays  the  screen 
and  gets  keyboard  input)  and  BASIC 
(returns  control  to  the  8K  ROM). 

Some  requirements:  on  return 
from  a  USR  call,  registers  lY  and  I 
must  contain  4000h  and  lEh.  Of 
course,  SP  must  also  be 
undisturbed.  HL'  must  also  be 
preserved.  So  on  startup,  FORTH 
must  save  SP  and  HL'.  Then  when 
the  BASIC  routine  is  called,  it 


must  restore  SP  and  HL',  load  4000h 
into  lY  (my  FORTH  code  doesn't  mess 
with  I,  so  no  need  to  reset  it), 
and  do  a  RET  to  get  back  to  the 
ROM.  My  version  also  calls  a 
routine  that  saves  all  the  regis¬ 
ters  in  a  block  of  RAM  locations 
you  can  PEEK.  This  helps  enormous¬ 
ly  when  debugging. 

$ECH0  and  $KEY  are  based 
around  calls  to  ROM  routines. 

$ECH0  sets  up  a  RST  10  call,  which 
takes  care  of  writing  to  the 
screen.  You  have  to  load  4000h 


into 

lY  first. 

$KEY  calls  routines 

at  0229h  (displa 

ys  screen),  0F48 

( clea 

ns  up  keyboard  handling) 

and 

07BD 

(decodes  the  keyboard). 

Again 

,  4000h  mus 

t  be  loaded  i 

nto 

lY;  a 

Iso  IX  must 

be  preserved 

be  f  0  r 

■e  these  cal 

Is  as  the  ROM 

doesn 

't  preserve 

it. 

One  other  problem  concerns 

chara 

cter  sets. 

FORTH  is  bas 

ed 

around  the  ASCII 

(American  Standard 

Code 

for  Informa 

tion  Intercha 

nge) 

set  w 

hich  includ 

es  characters 

not 

in  the  ZX8l  set. 

I  defined  an 

ASCII 

to  ZX81  "m 

apping";  I  re 

place 

neede 

d  ASCII  cha 

racters  with 

invers 

ZX81 

characters 

as  follows: 

ASCII 

ZX81 

ASCII 

ZX81 

a-z 

A-Z 

1 

• 

# 

= 

% 

£ 

& 

+ 

f 

ft 

@ 

9 

[,] 

(,) 

\ 

/ 

— 

> 

{,} 

<,> 

Rich  added  that  he  would,  discuss 
putting  FORTH  on  a  ZX80/81  .'with 
anyone  who's  interested.  Send  him 
a  SASE  and  $.50  to  cover  reproduc¬ 
tion  of  his  materials.  Richard  S. 
Holmes,  1303  E.  Wilson  Apt.  4, 
Batavia,  IL  60510. 


Howard  Gladstone  of  Gladstone 
Electronic  Distributors  called  to 
say  they  remastered  all  their 
tapes.  Our  review  of  their  ZXAS 
and  ZXDB  programs  reported  trouble 
loading  these  tapes.  This  problem 
should  no  longer  exist  for  tapes 
shipped  after  mid-April  1982. 


9 


DEAR  EDITOR 


You  can  use  your  Sinclair 
computer  to  enjoy  interactive 
communications  (games,  program  and 
data  transmitting/receiving)  via 
the  phone  lines  by  building  the 
very  low-cost  "Mickey  Modem"  as 
described  in  the  Nov.  1978  issue  of 
Kilobaud.  Restrictions:  both 
parties  must  have  a  Mickey  Modem 
and  use  the  same  ROM;  it  only  works 
on  local  phone  lines  (no  long 
distance);  and  you  must  know  your 
receiver's  RAM  capacity  (you  can't 
transmit  16K  of  program  into  IK  of 
RAM  space. ..but  the  receiver's 
modem  could  be  hooked  up  to  his 
recorder  and  the  program  saved.). 

Another  goodie  is  the 
"Computer  Music  Box  Peripheral" 
article  in  Popular  Electronics , 

April  1978.  It  shows  how  to  build 
a  low-cost,  12-tone,  4-octave  music 
generator  that  can  be  tied  to  an 
output  port  such  as  shown  in 
SYNTAX,  Jan. 81  p.7. 

Let's  dig  out  those  cheapie 
projects  from  old  magazines  we  can 
easily  adapt  to  OUR  computers! 

Patrick  Kelly,  Los  Angeles,  CA 
We  haven't  tried  these  projects. — AZ 


Banta  Software  (RD  #7, 
Bethlehem,  PA  18015)  has  3  very 
good  programs  on  tape  for  $3.95 — 
Football,  Super  Monzxer,  and  Murder 
in  the  RAM.  All  are  16K,  run  well 
and  interesting  to  play.  Banta 
will  make  the  tapes  good  if  they 
don't  run.  I  had  some  trouble 
with  a  tape  and  they  worked  with  me 
to  get  it  running.  I  am  happy  with 
these  programs — for  $3*95  you  can't 
go  wrong.  I  will  not  recommend  the 
monopoly  game. 

Laverne  Hoffman,  Canby,  OR 


With  the  1  6K  RAM,  the  new 
power  pack  is  around  13.5-14V 
(depending  on  line  voltage).  The 
small  electrolytic  capacitor 


adjacent  to  the  5V  regulator  is 
rated  at  only  16V.  After  an  hour 
or  so  of  operation,  a  small  "worm" 
crept  up  the  TV  display,  typical  of 
poor  DC  filtration.  I  changed  to  a 
470  mF  at  25V  for  additional 
filtration  and  a  margin  of  safety. 

My  unit  was  reinstalled  in  a 
custom  case  with  aluminum  front  and 
rear  panels.  I  simply  unbolted  the 
5V  regulator  from  the  PC  board  and 
turned  the  heat  sink  around  and 
rebolted  it  to  the  rear  chassis 
panel.  It  runs  cool  as  a  cucumber. 
It  was  heating  the  the  adjacent  ICs 
after  15-20  minutes  and  causing  the 
system  to  crash.  Taking  it  off  the 
PC  board  corrected  this. 

Glen  DeLong,  Moneta,  VA 


I  would  like  to  add  a  reverse 
video  switch  and  a  video  monitor  to 
my  ZX8I  as  I  did  on  my  ZX8O.  What 
modifications  and  connections  do  I 
need  to  make? 

Ronald  Swager,  Springfield,  IL 

Unfortunately,  you  cannot  simply 
switch  a  ZX8l  to  reverse  video  as 
you  can  a  ZX80  (just  a  jumper  on 
the  board).  We  do  not  know  how  to 
reverse  the  video. 

To  hook  up  a  video  monitor, 
pick  up  the  video  at  pin  16  of  IC1. 
Pick  up  a  ground  somewhere  (like 
the  modulator  case).  Connect  these 
to  the  composite  video  input  of  any 
monitor  with  greater  than, 1000  Ohms 
input  impedance.  If  the  impedance 
is  50-75  Ohms,  add  a  buffer.  Use  a 
source-follower  or  an  emitter- 
follower.  — KO 


I  would  like  to  praise  the 
repair  department  at  Sinclair  for 
the  fast,  efficient  and  neat  job 
they  did  for  me  and  my  bungling. 
Twice  I  damaged  my  ZX8l  and/or  RAM, 
returned  them  with  payment  for 
repair.  They  came  back  with  remar¬ 
kable  speed  (2  weeks  the  first 
time)  and  no  additional  bill.  I 
was  amazed.  Sinclair  also  replaced 


10 


a  tape  I  could  not  get  to  load,  at 
no  charge.  I  thank  them  from  the 
bottom  of  my  RAM. 

Also,  a  supply  house  called 
Poly-Paks  sells  surplus  computer 
goods.  Their  parts  are  reasonably 
priced  and  of  good  quality.  They 
tell  you  exactly  what  you're  order¬ 
ing,  such  as  "ICs  100%  guaranteed, 
untested."  They  are  at  16-18  Del 
Carmine  St.,  Wakefield,  MA  01880. 

John  Tiffin,  Evanston,  IL 

It's  good  to  hear  that  not  everyone 
has  to  wait  interminably  for  ship¬ 
ments  from  Sinclair.  If  you're 
waiting  for  a  repair  from  Micro¬ 
sync,  see  the  story  on  p.14. — AZ 


of  the  connector  must  be  partially 
removed  for  the  ZX81.  I  added  home 
brew  memory  using  this  technique 
for  connecting  to  the  ZX80/81. 

Hans  Roensch 

Editor's  note:  Having  been  accused 
of  running  a  catalog  of  things 
impossible  to  procure,  I'm  happy  to 
report  that  The  Fast  One  (data 
management  program  from  England), 
reviewed  in  Apr. 82,  is  available  in 
the  US  from  Mindware  Inc.  For  a 
free  catalog,  contact  Mindware,  70 
Boston  Post  Rd.,  Wayland,  MA  01778, 
617/358-7175.— AZ 

COMPUTER  CONTEST 


The  Radio  Shack  276-1558  40-  Win  $100  for  your  scheme 

pin  card  edge  connector  can  be  used  involving  a  home  computer.  OCEAN 
with  the  ZX80/81.  The  connector  is  looking  for  practical,  revenue- 

also  requires  the  Radio  Shack  40-  producing  ideas  for  any  kind  of 

wire  flat  cable.  This  leaves  4  home  computer.  Deadline  is  30  June 

pins  that  must  be  hardwired  to  any  1982.  For  details,  write  OCEAN,  PO 

peripheral  devices.  The  two  ends  Box  3221,  Springfield,  VA  22152. 


d  last,  a  comi 


>nsive  text  for  your 
jpnplete  BASIC  Course  is 
will  immediately  become 
an  ihdisMnsible  work  of  reference  for  all 
your  ZXW  programming 
Whether  you  have  never  done  any 
programming  or  whether  you  are  an 
experienced  microcomputer  user,  the 
Complete  BASIC  Course  will  provide 
an  invaluable  aid 
HOW  TO  WRIT!  PROGRAMS 
Even  if  the  idea  of  writing  programs  is 
completely  mystifying  to  you,  the  Complete 
BASIC  Course  will  show  you  just  how  easy  it 
is.  In  rvD  time  you  will  be  able  to  write  and 
enjoy  complex  programs  for  whatever  you 
desire 


BASIC  Course  Programs 
on  Cassotts 

All  major  programs  in  the  BASIC  Course  are 
available  pre-recorded  in  this  set  of 
cassettes. 


SUKtoJa'  SX«l 
fetrtA.  aQQm  ivm& 
Ih'.  Uimi 


Not  Only  so  Programs  for  the 
Sinclair  zxsi:  1K  — 

Not  only  over  30  programs,  from  arcade 
games  to  the  final  challenging  Draughts 
playing  program,  which  all  fit  into  the 
unexpanded  IK  Sinclair  ZX81  Great  value! 

Mochlno  Language 
Programming  Made  Simple  for 
the  Sinclair  — 

A  complete  beginner's  guide  to  the 
computer's  own  language  -  Z80  machine 
language,  Machir^e  lar>guage  programs 
enable  you  to  save  on  memory  and 
typically  give  you  programs  that  run  10-30 
times  faster  than  BASIC  programs. 

ZXB1  ROM  Disassembly  Part  A 
This  book  is  for  the  programmer  that  needs 
complete  answers  about  the  ZX81.  Dr. 

Logan  has  examined  all  routines  in  the  ROM 
and  here  he  comments  on  each  one  It 
covers  all  ROM  locations  from  OOOOH  to 
OF54H,  and  includes  all  functions  except  for 
the  routines  used  in  the  floatir^  point 
calculator. 

ZX81  ROM  Disassembly  Part  B 

In  this  companion  volume  to  Part  A  Dr. 
Logan  covers  locations  OF55H  to  IDFFH  and 
includes  all  routines  used  in  the  ZX81  floating 
point  calculator.  These  two  books  are  a 
must  for  the  experienced  programmer 
understanding  Your  ZX81  ROM  — 
A  brilliant  guide  for  more  experienced 
programmers  by  Dr.  Ian  Logan,  this  book 
illustrates  the  Sinclair's  own  operating 
system  and  how  you  can  use  it. 


The  Complete  BASIC  Course  has  over 
240  pages  filled  with  information  in  an 
attractive  durable  ring  binder  -  this  is  a  lay- 
flat  work  of  reference  that  deserves  a 
place  next  to  every  Sinclair  ZX81 
microcomputer. 

NUM8ROUS  RXAMPL8S 

Every  concept,  every  function  is  fully 
described  by  simple  programs  that  you  can 
enter  on  your  Sinclair  ZX81  in  minutes 
The  Complete  BASIC  Course  contains 
over  lOO  programs  and  examples!  These 
programs  illustrate  the  use  and  possibilities 
of  the  Sinclair  ZX81: 

•  Home  use 

•  Financial  analysis  and  planning 

•  Educational  applications 

•  Games 

•  Mathematical  applications 

•  Displays  of  Artificial  Intelligence' 

■VRRV  FUNCTION  COVBR8D 

No  matter  what  your  application,  what  your 
confusion  about  any  function,  you  will  find  it 
covered  in  the  Complete  BASIC  Course. 


The  Complete 

Sinclair  ZX81  BASIC  Course  $35.0X3  0 
Basic  Course 

Programs  on  Cassette  S5.00  □ 

Not  Only  30  Programs/Sinclair 
ZX81:1K  $14.96  □ 

Machine  Language 

Programming  Made  Simple  $19.95  □ 
ZX81  ROM  Disassembly  Part  A  $14.95  Q 
ZX81  ROM  Disassembly  Part  B  $14.95  O 
Understanding  Your  ZX81  ROM  $19.95  f") 


PQ  Bax  480i  Murray  HSI  Statioa 
NewM>X,N.YX)156 


NAME 


ADDRESS 


Shipping  and  handling 
Sales  tax  (NY  residents  only) 


■  Mathematical  and  scientific  functions 
accurate  to  8  decimal  places 

■  Unique  one-touch  entry  of  key  words 
like  PRINT.  RUN  and  LIST 

■  Automatic  syntax  error  detection  and 


If  you  already  own  a  ZX80 

The  8K  Extended  BASIC 
chip  used  in  the  ZX81  is  available 
as  a  plug-in  replacement  for  your 
ZX80  for  only  $39.95,  plus  shipping 
and  handling— complete  with  new  key¬ 
board  overlay  and  the  ZX81  manual. 

So  in  just  a  few  minutes,  with  no 
special  skills  or  tools  required,  you  can 
upgrade  your  ZX80  to  have  all  the 
powerful  features  of  the  ZX81.  (You’ll 
have  everything  except  continuous  dis¬ 
play,  but  you  can  still  use  the  PAUSE 
and  SCROLL  commands  to  get  moving 
graphics.) 

With  the  8K  BASIC  chip,  your 
ZX80  will  also  be  equipped  to  use  the 


Introducing 
the  Sinclair  ZX81 


If  you’re  ever  going  to  buy 
a  personal  computer,  now  is  the 
time  to  do  it. 

The  new  Sinclair  ZX81  is  the 
most  powerful,  yet  easy-to-use 
computer  ever  offered  for  anywhere 
near-the  price:  only  $149.95*  completely 
assembled. 

Don’t  let  the  price  fool  you.  The 
ZX81  has  just  about  everything  you 
could  ask  for  in  a  personal  computer. 

A  breakthrough 
in  personal  computers 

The  ZX81  is  a  major  advance  over 
the  original  Sinclair  ZX80— the  world’s 


largest  selling  personal  computer  and 


easy  editing 


ZX  Printer  and  Sinclair  software. 


the  first  for  under  $200. 

In  fact,  the  ZX81’s  new  8K  Extended 
BASIC  offers  features  found  only  on  com¬ 
puters  costing  two  or  three  times  as  much. 
Just  look  at  what  you  get: 

■  Continuous  display,  including  moving 
graphics 

■  Multi-dimensional  string  and  numerical 


■  Randomize  function  useful  for  both 
games  and  serious  applications 

■  Built-in  interface  forZX  Printer 

■  IK  of  memory  expandable  to  16K 

The  ZX81  is  also  very  convenient 
to  use.  It  hooks  up  to  any  television  set 
to  produce  a  clear  32-column  by  24-line 
display.  And  you  can  use  a  regular 


Order  at  no  risk** 

We’ll  give  you  10  days  to  try  out 
the  ZX81.  If  you’re  not  completely  satis 
tied,  just  return  it  to  Sinclair  Research 
and  we’ll  give  you  a  full  refund. 

And  If  you  have  a  problem  with 
your  ZX81,  send  it  to  Sinclair  Research 


arrays 


cassette  recorder  to  store  and  recall 


within  90  days  and  we’li  repair  or  replace 


*  Plus  shipping  and  handling  Price  includes  connectors  proqrams  bv  name  ^10  Charge 

for  TV  and  cassette.  AC  adaptor,  and  FREE  manual,  ^  ’  -Does  not  apply  to  ZX81  kits.  * 


NEW  SOFTWARE:Sinclair  has 
published  pre-recorded  pro¬ 
grams  on  cassettes  for  your 
ZX81,  or  ZX80  with  8K  BASIC. 
We’re  constantly  coming  out 
with  new  programs,  so  we’ll 
send  you  our  latest  software 
catalog  with  your  computer. 


ZX  PRINTER:  The  Sinclair  ZX 
Printer  will  work  with  your  ZX81, 
or  ZX80  with  8K  BASIC.  It  will 
be  available  in  the  near  future 
and  will  cost  less  than  $100. 


16K  MEMORY  MODULE: 

Like  any  powerful,  full  fledged 
computer,  the  ZX81  is  expand¬ 
able.  Sinclair’s  16K  memory 
module  plugs  right  onto  the 
back  of  your  ZX81  (or  ZX80, 
with  or  without  8K  BASIC). 
Cost  is  $99.95,  plus  shipping 


ZX81  MANUAL:  The  ZX81 
comes  with  a  comprehensive 
164-page  programming  guide 
and  operating  manual  de¬ 
signed  for  both  beginners  and 
experienced  corriputer  users. 
A  $10.95  value,  it’s  yours  free 
with  the  ZX81. 


and  handling. 


Introducing 
the  ZX81  kit 


If  you  really  want  to 
save  money,  and  you  enjoy 
building  electronic  kits,  you 
can  order  the  ZX81  in  kit  form 
for  the  incredible  price  of  just 
$99.95*  It’s  the  same,  full-featured 
computer,  only  you  put  it  together 
yourself.  We’ll  send  complete,  easy- 
to-follow  instructions  on  how  you  can  ^ 
assemble  your  ZX81  in  just  a  few  hours.^ 
All  you  have  to  supply  is  the  soldering  iron 

How  to  order 

Sinclair  Research  is  the  world’s  larg¬ 
est  manufacturer  of  personal  computers. 

The  ZX81  represents  the  latest 
technology  in  microelectronics,  and  it 
picks  up  right  where  the  ZX80  left  off. 
Thousands  are  selling  every  week. 

We  urge  you  to  place  your  order 
for  the  new  ZX81  today.  The  sooner  you 
order,  the  sooner  you  can  start  enjoying 
your  own  computer. 

To  order,  simply  call  our  toll  free 
number,  and  use  your  MasterCard  or  VISA. 

To  order  by  mall,  please  use  the 
6pupon.  And  send  your  check  or  money 
order.  We  regret  that  we  cannot  accept 
purchase  orders  or  C.O.Dis. 

CALL  800-543-3000.  Ask  for  op¬ 
erator  #509.  In  Ohio  call  800-582-1364. 

In  Canada  call  513-729-4300.  Ask  for 
operator  #509.  Phones  open  24  hours 
a  day,  7  days  a  week.  Have  your  Master- 
Card  or  VISA  ready. 

These  numbers  are  for  orders 
only.  For  information,  you  must  write  to 
Sinclair  Research  Ltd.,  2  Sinclair  Plaza, 
Nashua,  NH  03061. 


PRICEt  QTY.  AMOUNT 


105SX 


TOTAL 


MAIL  TO:  Sinclair  Research  Ltd.,  One  Sinclair  Plaza,  Nashua,  NH  03061 


NAME 


ADDRESS 


CITY/STATE/ZIP 

t  U  S.  Dollars 


$149.95 

_ _ ^  ^ 

2X81  Kit 

99.95 

Hr  8K  BASIC  chip  (for  ZX80) 

39.95 

Fi6K  Memory  Module  (for  ZX81  or  ZX80) 

99.95 

Shipping  and  Handling 

4.95 

$4.95 

2K  CONVERSION  WITH  6116S 


MICROSYNC  SPEAKS 


While  assembling  my  ZX81,  I 
noticed  the  provision  for  adding  a 
2Kx8  RAM.  While  soldering  sockets 
to  the  PC  board,  I  included  both 
the  1 8-pin  sockets  for  the  2114s 
supplied  with  the  kit,  and  a  28-pin 
socket  for  the  alternative  memory. 
(The  middle  plastic  portion  of  the 
28-pin  socket  must  be  cut  out  so  it 
fits  over  and  around  one  of  the  18- 
pin  sockets.) 

I  ordered  a  6116  2K  memory  by 
mail.  When  it  arrived,  I  simply 
replaced  the  two  2114s  with  the 
6116.  The  conversion  was  simple 
and  works  fine.  I  can  now  fill  the 
screen  with  graphics! 

My  only  problem  was  assuming 
that  the  position  of  jumper  J1  on 
the  PC  board  corresponded  with  that 
shown  on  the  schematic.  It  didn't. 
When  you  install  the  jumper,  make 
sure  to  use  the  component  I.D.s 
printed  on  the  PCB  front. 

Insert  the  24-pin  DIP  with  the 
proper  orientation  and  in  the  lower 
24  pins  of  the  28-pin  socket 
(similar  to  the  8K  ROM). 

I  used  the  Hitachi  HM6116P-3 
2Kx8  static  CMOS  RAM  from  Jameco 
Electronics  (1355  Shoreway  Rd., 
Belmont,  CA  94002,  914/592-8097, 
hrs  Mon-Sat  8-5  PST).  Actually, 
their  catalog  lists  the  device  as 
P-4,  but  I  received  a  P-3  and  it 
works  great.  Cost:  $14.95  plus  $1 
postage,  $1.50  insurance  ($2  each 
postage  and  insurance  for  foreign 
orders),  plus  6%  tax  (CA  only).  A 
data  sheet  is  $.25  extra. 

I'll  use  the  2114s  for  another 
project,  but  have  toyed  with  the 
idea  of  a  3K  conversion.  This 
would  involve  stacking  the  6116  on 
two  sockets  to  put  it  above  one  of 
the  2114s.  Then  some  PCB  traces 
would  have  to  be  cut  and  two  RAM  CS 
signals  created.  My  prototype 
requires  only  an  additional  74LS00 
to  generate  them  from  the  existing 
RAM  CS  and  A1 1 . 

Paul  J.  Brogger,  Tumwater,  WA 


Yes,  Virginia,  there  is  a 
Microsync.  SYNTAX  arranged  an  ex¬ 
clusive,  secret  interview  with  Bob 
Allen,  Service  Manager. 

Microsync  exists  to  sevice 
Sinclair  computer  equipment.  Now, 
about  12  people  repair  up  to  100 
machines  daily.  Most  are  kits, 
although  less  than  1/5  of  kit- 
builders  need  service  assistance. 

Many  readers  ask  if  ULA  (IC1) 
chips  fail  more  often  than  others. 
Bob  Allen  tells  us  all  chips  get 
replaced  with  equal  frequency  in 
both  kit  and  factory-built  units. 
ULAs  do  fail  more  often  if  instal¬ 
led  backward.  Although  LOAD/SAVE 
problems  can  result  from  ULA 
failure.  Bob  says  they  usually  have 
some  other  cause. 

From  experience  to  date.  Bob 
feels  the  maintainance  pricing  ac¬ 
curately  reflects  the  reliabilty  of 
Sinclair  computers. 

Microsync's  goal  is  to 
receive,  repair,  test  and  ship  most 
machines  in  4  working  days.  Dur¬ 
ing  this  startup  phase.  Bob  says 
delays  do  reach  3-4  weeks.  Just 
before  press  time.  Bob  told  us  they 
were  servicing  items  that  arrived  5 
days  earlier. 

When  your  machine  arrives. 
Microsync  date-stamps  it  immediate¬ 
ly.  Unless  the  computer  was  pre¬ 
viously  serviced  unsatisfactorily 
by  Microsync,  your  computer  moves 
to  service  in  this  date  order. 

At  the  service  area.  Microsync 
dates  the  order  and  begins  repairs. 
When  done,  each  repair  goes  through 
a  QC  test  by  the  lead  technician. 

Next  the  machine  moves  to  an 
outgoing  area  where  operators  key 
administrative  data  into  the  compu¬ 
ter  system.  Within  24  hours,  the 
shipping  papers  are  printed  and  the 
machine  entered  for  UPS  shipping. 

This  is  basically  a  first-in, 
first-out  system  and  locating  your 
unit  prior  to  completion  requires 
looking  through  the  boxes.  Bob 
offers  this  advice  when  you  must 


14 


check  the  status  of  a  repair:  Use 
EXACTLY  the  same  name,  include  your 
ZIP  code,  tell  EXACTLY  when  you 
sent  your  unit,  whether  you  used 
parcel  post  or  UPS,  and  if  your 
unit  is  a  kit  or  factory-built. 

Bob  also  points  out  that 
Microsync  will  need  3  days  to  get 
your  reply  in  the  mail  to  you. 

SYNTAX  offers  additional  tips: 

•  Photocopy  the  front  of  the  box 
before  you  send  it.  If  you  in¬ 
quire,  send  the  photocopy  with  your 
letter . 

•  Make  a  packing  slip  for  the 
package  you  send,  and  keep  a  copy 
to  send  if  you  must  inquire. 

•  Send  your  computer  by  UPS  and 
insure  it.  Use  UPS  Blue  Label  for 
faster  shipping  (2  days). 

Bob  says  common  shipping  prob¬ 
lems  result  from  using  flimsy  boxes 
or  failing  to  write  your  name  on 
the  box  as  well  as  the  wrapping 
paper.  He  suggests  you  use  the 
Sinclair  box  if  possible.  Further, 
shipping  to  Sinclair  in  Nashua 
gives  you  no  advantage. 

Only  computers  with  damaged 
boards  are  returned  by  Microsync  as 
unrepairable,  according  to  Bob. 

About  li  of  machines  come  back 
to  Microsync  as  not  properly  re¬ 
paired.  Bob  suggests  you  return 
the  machine  in  their  box,  making  it 
clear  that  this  unit  has  been  in 
before.  Many  returns  are  "no  prob¬ 
lem  found"  cases  where  the  customer 
omitted  the  power  supply  and  the 
power  supply  is  the  problem. 

Power  supply  problems  can 
cause  a  number  of  symptoms,  includ¬ 
ing  LOAD/SAVE  problems  with  the  16k 
RAM  attached,  left-to-r ight  bars 
that  slowly  rotate  on  the  screen, 
and  others.  If  you  have  access  to 
a  regulated  power  supply  with  plen¬ 
ty  of  current  capability  and  low 
ripple,  substitute  it  and  see  if  it 
cures  your  problem.  If  you  test 
the  power  supply  yourself,  check 
for  increased  ripple  as  well  as  for 
proper  voltage. 

Bob  Allen  says:  "If  it's  under 
warranty  and  works  except  with  the 


SYNCH  RO-SETTE 

FORTHEZX-80&ZX-81 
8KROM  IK  -  16K 

GAMES-EDUCATIONAL-BUSINESS 
GRAPH  ICS-TUTORIAL-ETC. 


24  HR  HOTLINE  -  800-543-1300 
IN  OHIO -800-582-1364 

Ask  for  operator  No.  383 


1 2  monthly  issues  -  6  bi-monthly 
cassettes  containing  at  least  6  programs  each 

$39.50 


ILL.  Residents  add  $2.07  tax 
outside  USA  add  $10.00 

s&sco. 

388  West  Lake  Street  •  Addison^  IL,  60101 

(312)  628-8955 


RAM,  send  ALL  the  pieces." 

If  you  installed  an  R-PAK 
wrong  in  your  kit,  SAVE  THE  BOARD 
AND  SACRIFICE  THE  R-PAK.  Don't 
attempt  to  remove  multiple-lead 
components  without  de-soldering 
tools.  Solder-wick  won't  suffice. 

SYNTAX  asked  Bob  what  causes 
delays  in  service.  He  replied: 

"The  worst  thing  is  money  separate 
from  the  unit."  He  explained  that 
this  puts  the  unit  in  a  hqlding 
area,  generates  a  letter  to  the 
sender,  and  may  require  a'search  of 
other  correspondence  to  locate  the 
payment.  All  of  this  is  labor- 
intensive  and  time-consuming. 

LOAD/SAVE  problems  and  RAM 
problems  take  more  diagnostic  time. 
Also,  machines  with  no  problem 
found  get  extra  testing  to  avoid 
returning  defective  machines  and 
annoying  customers.  Machines  re¬ 
quiring  estimates  also  suffer 
delays  for  correspondence.  Kits 
with  "white  screen  syndrome"  also 
take  longer  to  diagnose. 


15 


KOPAK  GIVES 

YOU  THE 

POWER! 

KOPAK ’STM  Touch-A-Matic  gives  you 

KOPAKTM  is  now  offering  The  Source* 

the  power  to  type  more  accurately  and 

‘America’s  Information  Utility’.  The 

much  taster.  No  wires,  no  soldering, 

Source*  gives  you  the  power  to  access 

simple  to  install.  Our  unique  vinyl  over- 

a  wide  array  of  services  including: 

lay  guides  your  fingers  to  the  correct 

•  Barter  •  Shopping  •  Business  Infor- 

keys.  Touch  typing  now  possible  with 

mation  •  Career  Network  •  Electronic 

your  Sinclair*  or  MicroAce*! 

Mail  •  Medical  Advice  •  UPl  News 

$9.95 

Service  and  much  more.  A  modem  is 

required  to  use  The  Source*. 

The  KOPAKTM  Sinclair*  female  Con- 

Source  ID  $100. 

nector  gives  you  the  power  to  use  the 

Z-80  bus.  Edgecard  connectors  specif- 

More  POWER  on  the  way!  KOPAK’STM 

ically  made  for  Sinclair*  computers. 

Coming  Creations: 

•  46  Pins,  23/23  •  All  pins  are  gold 

The  KOPAKTM  rs-232  Interface 

plated  •  polarizing  pin  for  correct 

The  KOPAKTM  Bus 

alignment  everytime!  Available  with 

The  KOPAMATICTM  Keyboard 

Solder-Tail,  Wire-Rap  and  PCBoard. 

The  KOPAKTM  Printer 

$14.95 

KOPAKTM  Memory  Products 

The  KOPAKTM  Disc 

KOPAK  has  the  POWER  to  deliver!  ’ 

©  1982  KOPAK  Creations  Inc. 

KOPAK  Creations  Inc. 

TM  Trademark  of  KOPAK  Creations  Inc. 

Dept.  SX 

Sinclair*  is  a  trademark  of  Sinclair* 

448  West  55th  Street 

Research  LTD. 

New  York,  NY  10019 

MicroAce*  is  a  trademark  of  MicroAce* 

(212)  757-8698 

BEGINNERS’  ML — REGISTER  TO  REGISTER 
(Number  5  in  a  series) 


There  are  more  than  100  1-byte 
instructions  for  data  manipulation 
between  single  registers.  These 
are  grouped  as  "LD  r,r";  "ADD  r,r"; 
"SUB  r"  (from  A);  logical  opera¬ 
tions  (AND  r,  OR  r,  and  XOR  r);  and 
"CP  r"  (comparisons  to  A).  Here 
we’ll  look  at  loading,  adding  and 
subtracting . 

LD  r,r  is  the  general  instruc¬ 
tion  for  data  transfers  between 
single  registers.  That  means  that 
values  must  be  less  than  256, 
because  no  single  register  can  hold 
more  than  8  bits,  or  a  value  of 
255.  Register  pairs  are  just 
that — two  8-bit  registers. 

Before  you  can  transfer  data 
with  an  instruction  such  as  LD  C,E 
(load  data  in  E  into  C),  the  E 
register  must  have  data  in  it.  In 
practice,  all  registers  have  data 
in  them  at  all  times,  but  rarely 
the  data  you  want.  So  you  must 


load  the  "source"  register  (E  in 
our  example)  with  data  before 


moving 

it  to  the 

"destina 

tion" 

registe 

r  (C  in  our  example). 

Adding  and  subtracti 

ng  single 

registe 

rs  are  sim 

lilar  in 

that  all 

operations  are  be 

itween  the  A  regis- 

ter  (Ac 

cumulator) 

and  the 

other 

single 

registers 

(B,C,D,E 

,H,  or  L) 

or  the 

HL  registe 

!r  pair. 

(ADCs  and 

SBCs  are  identical  to  ADD 

s  and  SUBs 

except 

that  they 

include 

the  Carry 

bit  in 

the  Flags 

register 

'.) 

Fo 

r  example, 

.  let’s  1 

oad  B  with 

132,  C 

with  45 ,  a 

ind  D  with  36. 

Then  we 

:’ll  add  B 

and  C  and  subtract 

D  twice 

i  • 

*  • 

REM  ADD 

.  DECIMAL= 

MNEMONIC 

COMMENT 

xxl 

6 

LD  B,n 

xx2 

132 

(data) 

xx3 

14 

LD  C ,n 

xx4 

45 

(data) 

xx5 

22 

LD  D,n 

xx6 

36 

(data) 

xx7 

120 

LD  A,B 

;  B  to  A 

(A=132) 

xx8 

129 

ADD  A,C 

;C+A=177 

(A=177) 

xx9 

146 

SUB  D 

;A-D=141 

(A=141  ) 

xIO 

146 

SUB  D 

;A-D=105 

(A=105) 

REM  ADD  lists  relative  addresses. 
You  can  find  the  decimal  codes  for 
instructions  in  your  8K  ROM  or  ZX8l 
manual.  Appendix  A  (the  character 
set).  The  first  and  third  columns 
list  decimal  code  and  corresponding 
Z80  mnemonic.  These  codes  also 
serve  as  character  codes,  in  BASIC. 
You  can  find  explanations  for  in¬ 
structions  in  assembly  language 
manuals  such  as  Zilog’s  Z-80  Assem¬ 
bly  Language  Programming  Manual. 

After  "running,"  A  will  con¬ 
tain  105  while  B,C  and  D  will  all 
contain  their  "loaded"  values. 
Except  for  the  A  and  Flags  regis¬ 
ters,  all  registers  keep  their  data 
intact  until  specifically  altered. 

Next  month:  Exchanging  Registers 

Jon  Bobst,  Zeta  Software,  P.O.  Box 
3522,  Greenville,  SC  29608-3522 


16 


ZX81  INTRO 


BYTESAVERS  HINT— 8K 


Here  is  a  little  subroutine  I 
use  at  the  beginning  of  user- 
friendly  programs.  Just  RUN  to 
start  or  call  it  from  within  your 
program  by  GOTO  60  or  GOSUB  60.  If 
you  use  GOSUB  60,  change  line  270 
to  RETURN  and  delete  999.  To  stop 
execution  in  midstream,  press 
BREAK. 

This  routine  uses  just  about 
exactly  IK  RAM. 


A.  Kohlenberg,  Fremont,  OH 


60  PRINT  RT  I  RM  Z 

65  PRUSE  10© 

70  PRINT 

80  PRINT  "I  RM  R  HOME  PERSONRL. 
COMPUTER" 

85  PRUSE  150 
9©  PRINT 

100  PRINT  "I  CRN  DO  MRNY  THINGS 
AND"  ^  "THE  BEST  IS***^“ 

105  PRUSE  15© 

110  CLS 
120  PRINT 

130  PRINT  "I  NEUE  MAKE  MISTAKE 
S" 

135  PRUSE  100 

140  PRINT  AT  2,7; "WHOOPS" 

145  PRUSE  100 

150  FOR  Y=25  TO  7  STEP  -1 

160  PRINT  RT  2,Y;"S" 

170  PRINT  RT  2,Y; "  " 

180  NEXT  Y 

190  PRINT  RT  1,6;  "jS" 

200  FOR  R=18  TO  1  STEP  -1 
210  PRINT  RT  R,6;"R“ 

220  PRINT  RT  R,6;"  " 

230  NEXT  R 

240  PRINT  RT  1,6; "R" 

250  PRINT  RT  10 , 8;  "WEL.L. ,  RI_MOSX 
NEWER" 

260  PRUSE  150 

270  PRINT  RT  11, 15; "BYE" 

999  STOP 

SYNTACTIC  SUM:  33973,  8K 


ATTENTION  SUBSCRIBERS:  Some  makers 
and  distributors  of  ZX-related 
products  have  asked  about  mailing 
to  our  subscription  list.  We  think 
you  would  find  some  of  these  mail¬ 
ings  useful  or  informative.  How¬ 
ever,  your  name  and  address  are 
private  (the  reason  we  don't  print 
complete  addresses  unless  asked  to 
by  the  person).  If  you  would  not 
like  to  receive  such  information  in 
the  mail,  please  let  us  know.  If 
we  don't  hear  from  you,  we'll  pre¬ 
sume  you  would  like  to  receive  ZX- 
related  literature  by  mail. — AZ 


If  you  are  using  a  PRINT  after 
a  line  number  simply  to  add  an 
empty  line,  use  two  commas  instead. 
Often  empty  lines  are  useful  to 
clean  up  a  screen  display.  These 
two  programs  display  the  same 
spacing — the  second  saves  you  four 
bytes : 

Program  1 
10  INPUT  A 
20  PRINT  A 
25  PRINT 
30  INPUT  B 

40  PRINT  B  (bytes  used=34) 

Program  2 
10  INPUT  A 
20  PRINT  A 
30  INPUT  B 

40  PRINT  ,,B  (bytes  used=30) 

Each  substitution  of  commas  for 
blank  PRINT  lines  saves  four  bytes. 

Dave  Hallas,  Kansas  City,  MO 


NOW  AVAILABLE 


keyboQfd . 

^  ^conversions 

•  Standard  Computer  Keyboard 


•  Type  programs  in  half  the  time 

•  Minimize  errors 

•  Wired  keyboard  hooks  up  in  minutes 

Plans  for  keyboard  conversion  with  reverse  video 

NOW  $5.00 

Keyboard  with  complete  parts  and  plans  NOW  $55.00 
Wired  keyboard,  complete  with  plans  MW  $75.00 

Add  $5.00  mailing  charge  for  continental  U.S. 

Other  locations  write  for  details. 


Mail  for  information: 

LJ.H.  Enterprises 

P.O.  Box  6305,  Orange,  CA  92667 
or  can  714/547-8717 


17 


IC  INVENTORY  — 4K/2K 


Some  hobbyists  have  trouble 
keeping  track  of  parts.  This 
program,  written  for  the  CD4000 
series  of  ICs  and  using  the  4K  ZX80 
ROM  and  at  least  2K  RAM,  can  be 
adapted  for  any  series  of  things 
following  consecutive  numbers.  It 
is  beneficial  to  keep  two  lists  for 
each  series — one  of  those  in  stock 
and  one  of  those  used  in  circuits 
for  emergency  substitutions. 

The  first  part  of  this  program 
is  also  useful  for  setting  aside 
memory  for  machine  code  routines. 

Enter  line  1 : 

1  REM  480  BYTES  FOR  DATA  0123 
456789012345678901234567890 
Then  type  EDIT,  RUBOUT,  2,  NEWLINE. 
This  duplicates  line  1  as  line  2  as 
saves  lengthy  typing.  Repeat 
procedure  for  line  3. 

Next  POKE  out  the  newline 
characters  at  the  ends  of  lines 
1&2,  combining  all  three  into  one 
long  REM  statement  for  the  data: 
POKE  16477,61 
POKE  16531  ,61 

Then  repeat  the  duplicating 
procedure : 

EDIT,  RUBOUT,  2,  NEWLINE 

EDIT,  RUBOUT,  3,  NEWLINE 

Set  the  memory  behind  the  first  REM 

to  zeros: 

10  LET  A=16426 
20  FOR  B=0  TO  480 
25  POKE  A+B,0 
30  NEXT  B 
RUN 

This  leaves  1  REM  on  the  screen 
and  about  2/3  blank,  with  90  above 
the  E  in  line  10.  Line  1  now  has 
482  data  spaces  available  if 
nothing  larger  than  255  is  entered. 
Do  not  enter  quantities  greater 
than  255.  Each  quantity  is  held  in 
1  byte,  with  a  255  maximum. 

Now  enter  the  following 
program.  Note  that  line  25  is 
changed.  After  pressing  RUN,  the 
screen  takes  at  least  5  seconds  to 
display. 

Gyro  Burns,  Athens,  OH 


10  LET  A=16426 
15  PRINT, "CURRENT  LIST" 

20  FOR  B=0  TO  480 
25  IF  PEEK(A+B)>0  THEN  GO  SUB 
300 

27  IF  PEEK(A+B)>0  THEN  PRINT, 

30  NEXT  B 
40  PRINT 

50  PRINT  "FOR  CMOS  IC  S" 

60  PRINT  "INPUT  THE  NUMBERS  A 
FTER  CD4  — " 

70  INPUT  B 

80  IF  B>480  THEN  PRINT  "OVERR 
ANGE" 

85  PRINT 

90  IF  B>480  THEN  GO  TO  60 
100  CLS 

110  GO  SUB  300 

130  PRINT  "  IN  STOCK" 

140  PRINT  "LIST  OR  CHANGE?  L/C" 

150  INPUT  C$ 

155  CLS 

160  IF  C$=""  THEN  GO  TO  45 
165  IF  C$="L"  THEN  GO  TO  10 
170  PRINT  "TO  WHAT?" 

180  INPUT  D 
190  POKE  (A+B) ,D 
195  GO  SUB  300 
197  PRINT 
200  GO  TO  45 
300  PRINT  "CD4"; 

305  IF  B<100  THEN  PRINT  "0"; 

310  IF  B<10  THEN  PRINT  "0"; 

320  PRINT  B, 

330  PRINT  PEEK(A+B); 

350  RETURN 

390  REM  CMOS  IC  LIST  5/1/82 
Syntactic  Sum:  -30692,  4K 

To  check  that  your  16K  RAM  pack  is 
working  OK  on  your  ZX8l,  follow 
these  steps: 

Pull  the  power  jack  and  plug  it 
back  in  to  clear  the  machine. 

Type  in  the  immediate  mode  (with  no 
line  number) : 

PRINT  PEEK  16388+256*PEEK  16389 
Press  ENTER  or  NEWLINE. 

If  your  16K  RAM  is  OK,  the  answer 
on  the  screen  is  32768.  Try  it 
without  the  RAM  attached.  With 
just  the  internal  IK  RAM,  the 
answer  is  17408.  This  routine 
checks  to  see  where  the  top  of  RAM 
is  and  reports  the  highest  address. 


18 


SOFTWARE  REVIEW— 8K/1K  SLOT  MACHINE 


Here's  another  free  sample 
software  review — a  program  directly 
from  New  England  Software's  tape. 
Try  it  out  and  see  for  yourself. 

Part  of  a  package  available 
for  $10  on  tape  from  the  address 
below,  Slot  Machine  runs  in  IK,  no 
small  feat  for  a  game  with  its 
features.  The  display  could  be 
more  elaborate,  but  only  at  tremen¬ 
dous  memory  expense.  If  you  have 
just  IK  on  your  8K  machine,  you'll 
be  surprised  at  what  it  can  do. — AZ 


This  program  simulates  a 
dollar  slot  machine.  RUN  the  pro¬ 
gram  to  start;  to  exit  enter  a 
double  letter  such  as  ZZ  instead  of 
a  bet.  Enter  your  bet  each  time. 
The  computer  displays  each  window 
in  succession  in  SLOW.  Six  differ¬ 
ent  symbols  are  used.  Payoffs  are: 

W—2  to  1 
5  to  1 

3  of  a  kind — 20  to  1 
Rather  than  giving  you  money 
(who  gives  away  money  these  days?) 
the  computer  starts  you  at  $0  and 
tracks  wins  and  losses.  The  pro¬ 
gram  is  set  to  pay  back  95%  of  all 
money  entered,  so  sometimes  you  win 
and  sometimes  you  lose. 

In  lines  35,  45  and  50,  use 
keywords  TO  or  AT.  In  subroutine 
400  a  FOR-NEXT  loop  is  used  instead 
of  PAUSE  to  prevent  screen  flicker. 
To  save  valuable  memory  in  IK, 
nearly  all  numbers  are  expressed  in 
terms  of  D,  E  and  F  (already  de¬ 
fined  variables). 

Here's  a  neat  trick  to  save 
memory.  If  you  use  a  number  sev¬ 
eral  times  in  your  program,  replace 
it  with  a  defined  variable.  For 
example,  if  you  use  1  several 
times,  enter  a  line  LET  A=1.  Use  A 
in  place  of  1  throughout  your  pro¬ 
gram,  A-A  in  place  of  0,  A+A  in 
place  of  2.  You  may  be  surprised 
at  how  much  memory  you  save. 

Bob  Ferguson,  New  England  Software 
Box  691,  Hyannis,  MA  02601 


5  LET  E=2 
10  LET  F=3 
15  LET  ^f=E-E 
£0  RRND 

25  LET  D=RND^^E 

30  IF  D>=F-E  THEN  PRINT  "TRY  Y 
OUR  LUCK" 

35  IF  D<F-E  THEN  PRINT  “PRY  HE 
TO  UIN" 


4-0  LET  D=2© 

4.5  PRINT  “NOU  RT  :  M 
5©  PRINT  “PLRY  $1  TO  $5" 

6©  INPUT  B 

7©  IF  B<F-E  OR  B>E+F  THEN  GOTO 
Ds-F 

80  PRINT  RT  E-E^E-E;"i 


90 

10© 

11© 

120 

130 

14-0 

15© 

IS© 

170 

IS© 

190 

20© 

210 

22© 

230 

24.0 

25© 


270 

280 

290 

300 

31© 

320 

4.0© 

4-10 

Vi-,— 

4-30 

4-4-0 


E*F; 


D.-'E, 


,  E-E; 


IF  X  <  >Y  OR  X  <  > 


PRINT 
PRINT 
PRINT 
PRINT 
PRINT 
PRINT 
GOSUB 
LET  X=R 
PRINT  TRB 
GOSUB 
LET  Y=R 
PRINT  TRB 
GOSUB  E>^D 
LET  Z=R 
PRINT  RT  F 
LET  H=H-B 
IF  XOF  THEN 
1  THEN  GOTO  O 
250  PRINT  "YOU 
LET  C=E 

IF  Y=F  THEN  LET  C=E+F 
IF  X=Y  RND  X=Z  THEN  LET 
LET  M=H-S-C*B 
PRINT  C*B 
GOTO  D+D 

P  =  1NT  {RNOJt  {E«-F>  > 

FOR  Z=:E-E  TO  65 
NE.XT  Z 

PRINT  CHR*  (128-fR*E)  ; 

_  RETURN 

SYNTRCTIC  SUM: 33186,  8K 

(Line  80-all  graphics  space, 7, 7, 7, 
space, etc.  Line  90-graphics  space, 
3  normal  spaces,  etc.  Line  100-all 
graphics  space , 6 , 6 , 6 , space  , e tc. ) 


UIN 


C=D 


DEFECTIVE  8K  ROMS:  Brad  Lange  of 
Enid,  OK,  reports  that  he  and 
friends  bought  6  ZX8l  kitsy Dec.8l - 
Apr. 82.  All  6  kits  contained  the 
old  8K  ROM  with  bugs.  (Old  8K  ROMs 
give  some  arithmetic  errors  and 
crash  after  PAUSE  commands.) 
Sinclair  said  they  were  unaware  of 
this  problem  and  replaced  their 
ROMs  free.  Bruce  Livett  of 
Montreal,  Quebec,  finally  got  his 
replacement  8K  ROM  in  Feb. 82  (or¬ 
dered  Jun.8l )  and  also  found  it  was 
defective.  To  check  that  your  8K 
ROM  is  the  new,  corrected  version, 
type  in  PRINT  PEEK  54.  Old  ROM 
gives  132.  Improved  ROM  gives  136. 
Test  from  Ian  Logan,  SYNTAX  Dec. 81 


19 


Paul  Pittari  reports  that  he 
followed  the  Sinclair  schematic  for 
the  power  converter  in  the  16K  RAM 
pack  with  3  substitutions. 

He  used  a  TIP34A  transistor  to 
replace  the  ZTX750,  a  1N4007  to 
replace  the  BA  221 ,  and  an  old  AM 
radio  antenna  to  make  the  auto¬ 
transformer.  He  called  later  to 
say  the  transformer  loaded  down, 

12V  dropped  to  10V,  so  he  had  to 
rewind  it  with  heavier  wire. 

CLASSIFIED  ADS 


You  can  reach  thousands  of  ZX80/81 
users  for  just  $9  a  line.  Send  us 
your  ad  copy,  typed  35  char,  per 
line,  with  a  check  (NO  CREDIT  CARDS 
OR  PHONE  ORDERS,  please)  by  the 
15th  of  any  month.  Your  ad  will 
appear  in  the  next  month's  issue. 

To  repeat  an  ad,  send  another  ad 
order  with  check  by  the  15th.  We 
have  not  seen  all  products  offered 
and  take  no  responsibility  for 
advertisers.  SYNTAX,  RD  2  Box  457, 
Harvard,  MA. 

7  IK  ZX81  GAMES  ON  CASSETTE- -$ 10 . 00 
Mastermind,  Slot  Machine,  Craps, 

Sub  Rescue,  White  Hot  Number,  and 
more.  NEW  ENGLAND  SOFTWARE , Box  691, 
Hyannis,  MA  02601.  (Also  for  ZX80) 

AT  LAST ! Programs  for  the  collector; 
Antique, Art , Baseball  card, Beer  can. 
Book, Coin, Comic  book , Football  card. 
Record  album  and  Stamp. Mass  Storage 
Inventory . GUARANTEED  easy  loading. 
Menu  format . bistable . Search , Check 
inventory , Total  cost/value  and  more 
ZX80/81/M.A. 8KROM/16KRAM. Cassette  & 
Manual . ^4. 95+1 . 05P . ea.  M. C . Hoffman 
P.O.  Box  117,  Oakland,  N.J.  07436 

NEW:  For  the  ZX81  w/16K  RAM  Pac . 
Geometry  and  graphic  trig  data, 
resonance  and  matching  calculations 
+0hms  Law;  6  programs  (17K)  in  all! 
Straight  forward  BASIC,  use  and 
learn  at  the  same  time! 

Send  $14.95  to:  SOFT-WAY 
3308  Midway  Dr.  Dept.  124 
San  Diego,  CA.  92110 


REMOVING  ICS  SAFELY  AND  CHEAPLY 

Instead  of  buying  costly 
tools  for  IC  removal,  get  binder 
clips  (with  springs).  For  less 
than  $.40,  the  large  size  will 
handle  40-pin  ICs;  the  small  size 
(less  than  $.20)  works  for  smaller 
ICs.  The  metal  clip  ties  the  pins 
together,  so  no  static  problems 
from  plastic  tools.  The  spring 
tension  bends  pins  inward  slightly, 
making  them  easier  to  put  in  sockets. 

To  remove  an  IC,  put  the  clip 
down  to  the  top  of  the  socket. 

Gently  pry  up  alternate  ends  of  the 
IC  with  a  small  blade  or  screw¬ 
driver  to  loosen  it  gradually.  As 
the  pins  emerge,  slide  the  clip 
down  the  legs  for  a  better  grip. 

Lift  the  IC  out  and  place  it  on 
aluminum  foil  or  conductive  foam. 

To  insert  an  IC,  hold  it  in 
the  clip  and  set  the  pins  in  the 
socket.  Press  down  gently  in  the 
center  of  a  small  IC  or  on  alter¬ 
nate  ends  of  a  large  IC  until  it  is 
entirely  seated.  Be  careful  not  to 
bend  the  pins;  they  can  snap  off. 

Herb  Sturges,  Orinda,  CA 


EZRA  GROUP  II 
EZRA  GROUP  II 

The  ZX80/81's  are  making  a  name 
with  LOW  prices . . . 

WE  CHALLENGE  THE  SOFTWARE  COMPANIES 


TO  LOWER  THEIR  PRICES! 

for  ZX81/ZX80/8k  ROM 
IK  and  16K  RAM  versions 
Moving  Billboard. ! ! SIDEWAYS! ! . . 1.00 

Horse  Race . 1.00 

Quilt  Painter. (from  Keyboard) . .1.00 

Metric  Conversion . 1.00 

Functorial  Hypercube  Course 

with  Programs . 1.95 

Postage  per  order . 50 


Self  Addressed  Stamped  Envelope 

Gets  You  Our  Goodies  Catalog 
ALL  ORDERS  AND  CATALOG  REQUESTS  GET 
FREE  PROGRAM. 

EZRA  GROUP  II 
EZRA  GROUP  II 

P.O.  Box  5222  San  Diego,  California 
92105 


20 


ZX81  PROGRAMS- -All  6  fit  IK  RAM 
HANGMAN  word  game,  NIM  number  game 
DICEPLOT  simulator,  CRAPS  gambling 
PRIME  generator  +  FACTOR  extractor 
All  quality  programs. 

NO  TAPES!  Save  these  yourself  and 
save  money.  Lis tings+instructions 
ONLY  $4.  R.  Howard  3752  Rolison  #21 
Redwood  City,  Ca  94063 

BRITAIN'S  BEST  TEACHING  SOFTWARE! 
Programs  for  4-12  graders  at  home 
or  at  school  -  math,  English, 

French,  science,  history,  etc. 
Excellent  reviews.  Most  cost  £4.00 
Send  reply  coupon  for  list  to: 

AVC  SOFTWARE  PO  BOX  415  BIRMINGHAM 
B17  9TT,  UK 

ZX81  16K  SOFTWARE- -Send  SASE  for 
discriptions .  All  cassette 
BRITTANYSOFT  LTD.,  P.O.  Box  1043 
Twin  Falls,  ID  83301  208-324-3086 

NEW. . . ZX-CALC  The  new  Electronic 
Spread  Sheet  program  for  the  ZX80,1 
(w/8K,16K).  This  large  sheet  30co. 

X  45 li.  can  be  adapted  to  may  of 
your  needs:  Budget,  Inventory,  For- 
casting,  Etc.  This  program  on  cass¬ 
ette  is  only : $16 . 00+1 . 50  postage  + 
handling.  MAIL  CK.  or  M.O.  to: 
SOFTWARE  APPLICATIONS, PO  BOX  1922 
ATASCADERO,  CAL.  93422 

Female  Connectors  for  Sinclair 
Users.  23  dual  pin  keyed,  WW  or 
eyelet  avail. ,  please  specify.  $10 
ppd.  each,  M.O.  or  check  only.  RG 
Enterprises,  PO  Box  271173, 
Escondido,  Ca.  92027.  Ca.  res.  add 
67o  sales  tax. 

PUT  THAT  ZX80/81  TO  WORK  with  SORT. 
This  great  collating  tool  can  count 
1000 's  of  items  in  up  to  29  catego¬ 
ries  on  just  IK! !  $3  gets  you  list/ 
explanation  to  learn/build  on. 

MAD  DOG  TANK  BLASTER- ZX81-16K  shows 
you  how  to  create  that  masterpiece 
of  your  dreams.  Moving  tank-soldier 
Bullets/explosions  all  explained.  A 
terrific  game/a  real  idea  generator 
List  w/complete  instructions  $6.95 
TOM  WOODS  Box  64  Jefferson, NH  03583 


A  PLAYER  ZX81  cassette , $6 . 95pp , with 
your  8K-1K/16K  system  and  recorder 
become  a  124  note  MUSIC  SYNTHESIZER 
W  Maples  688  Moore  St  LKWD,C0  80215 

+>v*dISCOUNT  ZX-  81  ( IK)  PROGRAMS*** 

8  Programs  on  each. $8.00  a  tape 
TAPE ( 1) GAMES : Lunar  Lander  etc. 

TAPE (2) DIET : Calorie  Computings  etc. 
TAPE (3) HOME : House  Security  etc. 

TAPE  ( 4)  BUS INE S S :  Salary ,  Markup7o  etc. 
TAPE (5) MATH: Drills  for  all  ages. 
TAPE (6) GEOMETRY :Pythag.  Ther.  etc. 
TAPE (7) DESIGN: Computer  Clocks  etc. 
TAPE(8)  INVESTMENT:  Interest  7o  etc. 
TAPE (9) QUIZ : Various  for  all  ages. 
TAPE (10) GENERAL : 1  of  each  category. 
ROMAN  SOFTWARE  788  Mercury  Circle 
Littleton,  Colo.  80124 

BUFFERED  EXPANSION  BOARD  for  ZX80/1 
BUFFERED  EXPANSION  BOARD  for  ZX80/1 
For  marketed  and  user  built  periph¬ 
erals.  All  lines  fully  buffered  and 
in  same  order  as  on  Sinclair  port. 
Unique  decoder  circuit  makes  avail¬ 
able  up  to  8K  of  memory  mapped  I/O 
addresses.  Holds  6  card  edge  conne¬ 
ctors  and  has  1  set  of  gold  fingers 
.Has  many  on  board  circuitry  and 
mechanical  options.  Develop  your 
own  peripherals  with  wire  wrap  on 
readily  available  cards.  Plans  for 
I/O  port,  A/D,  D/A,  DMA,  More,  will 
be  available  soon.  Write  me  of  your 
developments  so  that  Expansion 
Board  users  may  benefit.  Board  is  2 
sided, plated  holes,  tin  plated, 
legend,  solder  mask, 7x8  in.  All 
parts  readily  available.  With 
complete  documentation.  Available 
as  BARE  BOARD  (with  connector  to 
computer)  or  KIT  (with  8  I.C.s  , 
sockets, 6  connectors , parts  needed. 
Immediate  delivery  while  current 
stock  lasts. To  order  send  check: 
$33. . .BARE  BOARD,  $63... KIT,  to 
COMPUTER  CONTINUUM,  301-16  Ave 
San  Francisco  CA  94118.  Calif  res 
add  6  l/27o  tax.  Send  stamp  for  spec 
sheet/photo;  write  or  call  (415) 
7526294.  EXTRA!  UHF  modulator  $15. 
Solves  VHF  interference  problems. 
Send  to  MODULATOR,  same  address. 
Eric  Reiter 


21 


ZX81  SOFTWARE  ON  CASSETTE 
"Special  Introductory  Offer!" 
12  IK  Games  on  cassette  with  copies 
of  programs  and  full  instructions: 
DEPTH  CHARGE , BLACKJACK , AUTO  RACER, 
MORTAR  SHELL, THREE  TOWERS , and  more. 
All  for  $6.  75'"’'*freE  CATALOG  with 
first  order  or  send  SASE  to*  H  &  H 
ELECTRONICS,  3379  Route  46,  -  6D 
Parsipanny,  N.J.  07054 

"ZX81  MONOPOLY"  -  Now  available. 

16K  RAM  -  imported  from  the  UK. 
British  board  version  family  game. 
$14.95-from  Savage  Software,  PO  Box 
892,  New  Smyrna  Beach,  FL  32069 


COMPUSETTE  is  a  C-10  cassette  which 
is  especially  designed  for  micro¬ 
computer  application  by  Tapemasters 

IN  TEXAS  PHONE  (214)  349-0081 
FREE  OUT-OF-STATE  1-800  527-1227 
VISA  MASTERCARD  C.O.D. 


25  FOR  $20.00 
100  FOR  $70.00 
500  FOR  $330.00 

10%  DISCOUNT  FOR  CASH 
MAIL  CHECKS  OR  MONEY  ORDER  TO 
TAPEMASTERS -POST  OFFICE  BOX  38651 
DALLAS,  TEXAS  75238 
FREIGHT  PREPAID*DEFECTIVES  REPLACED 


ZX81/80  WEATHER  FORECASTER  8K  16K 
Needs  a  Barometer . FORCAST  36  Hrs . 
in  advance . LISTINGS : $5+SASE  Richard 
Toy  546  CR.  214  Fremont, OH  43420. 


V  /\  /\  /\  /\  /V  /\  ✓\  /\  /\  yv  y\  /\  yv  yv  y\  yv  y\  /\  yv  /\  /V  yv  /\  y\ 

FASTEST  SPACE  WAR  GAME  YET  I  * 
-81  Space  Raiders  for  ZX81  with  * 
16K  RAM.  High  speed  graphical  * 
display  of  moving  starfield  and  * 
custom  ML  math  package  provide  * 
real  time,  accurate  simulation  * 
of  space  navigation  and  battle.  * 
Only  $19.95  for  cassette,  * 
keyboard  overlay,  and  manual.  * 
NIRAD  ELECTRONICS,  959  East  * 
460  South,  Provo,  UT  84601  * 

U  •kU  ^»a-  ..fa-  ^1-.  ,^1-- 

V  /V  y\  y\  y\  y\  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yv  yC  /\ 


^LOTS  OF  GRAPHICS********** 
LAND  THE  SPACE  SHUTTLE  and  LAND/AIR 
BATTLE.  Two  games  on  one  tape. $8. 85 
*NEW*  SPACE  BATTLE.  On  tape... $6. 95 
Games  for  ZX81  8KROM/ 16KRAM*FUNWARE 
7119  Santa  Fe  Av.  Dallas,  Tx.  75223 


EDGE  CONNECTORS: Solder-eye  or  wire- 
wrap  , gold-pltd  contacts- $7 . 50 , 5/ $30 
*WIRING  DIAGRAMS  for  attaching  key- 
boar  ds&joy  sticks  to  ZX81-$2.  SMUG 
PROJECT, Box  13042, Ft  Wayne , IN  46866 

Create  GAMES  to  $ell!  or  DRAW/ERASE 
Graphics.  GOOD  IDEAS/ INFO /FUN I  Be  a 
part  of  huge  new  ZX80/81  Mrkt.  Send 
$2  &  SASE:  WSM  PRODS.  4365  Ventura 
Canyon  Ave.  Sherman  Oaks,  Ca  91423 

MAXWELL'S  DEM0N--an  action  game  for 
the  ZX81  with  2K  RAM.  Send  SASE  for 
details, $4  for  tapes:  A.  Longacre , 
21  Leitch  Ave,  Skaneateles ,NY  13152 

WORD  PUZZLE-Guess  phrase , title , name 
by  guessing  1  letter  at  a  time  Use 
computers  puzzles  or  opponents. 
YAHTZEE- Challenging  game  of  skill 
+luck  BOTH  on  cassette+ins tructions 
+2  more  f unprograms  8K/16K  ZX80-81 
Send  $4.95  CK  or  MO  payable  to 
A.  Kohlenberg  to:  JAMM  SOFTWARE 
1301  SR  523#37  FREMONT, OH. 43420 
8K/1K  WORD  PUZZLE  Send  SASE+$1.50 

Turn  your  ZX81  into  a  full  graphics 
calculator  able  to  display  equation 
with  result!  Short  program  only  $1+ 
SASE :  ZxCo .  POB  138  Syosset , NY11791 

ZX81  T- Shirts ! -Finest  quality  with 
distinctive  ZX81  logo  emblazoned  on 
black  field. Specify  Sm,Med , Lg . $6 . 95 
@, Check  or  MO  +$lper  order  shipping 
CUTS  Co,P0  Bx  37  Mamaroneck , NY10543 


EZ  ZX  typing/EZ  switch  to  regul¬ 
ar  keybrd.  EZ  PLANS.  $3.&  SASE: 

WSM  PRODS.  4365  Ventura  Canyon, 
Sherman  Oaks,  CA  91423 

43  pin  gold  W/W  edge  connectors  $4. 
6116  150ns  RAMS  $10.  List  of  more 
items  w/SASE.  Postpaid  from:  Weick, 
7127  W.  Becker  Ln,  Peoria,  AZ  85345 


22 


FOR  SALE:  ZX80  ROM  Switch. 
Run  8K  or  4K  Software  at  a  flick 
of  the  switch!  Basic  Kit:  $24.95 
Full  Feature  Kit:  $34.95  (Includes 
keyboard  beeper  &  load  processor.) 
Marex  Electronics ,  2805  Abbeyville 
Valley  City,  OH  44280 

MAGIC  SQUARE.  World's  Most  Magic!!! 
16x16  More  Magic  tn  BEN  FRANKLIN 's 
Probe  with  ZX.  $2.00  EZRA  GROUP  II 
Box  5222  San  Diego , California  92105 


OUR  POLICY  ON  CONTRIBUTED  MATERIAL 

SYNTAX  ZX80  invites  you  to  express  opinions  related  to  the  ZX80  and  the 
newsletter.  We  will  print,  as  space  allows,  letters  discussing  items  of  general  interest. 
Of  course,  we  reserve  the  right  to  edit  letters  to  a  suitable  length  and  to  refuse 
publication  of  any  material. 

We  welcome  program  listings  for  all  levels  of  expertise.  Programs  can  be  for 
any  fun  or  useful  purpose.  We  will  test  run  each  one  before  publishing  it,  but  we 
will  not  debug  programs;  please  send  only  workable  listings. 

In  return  for  your  listing,  we  will  pay  you  a  token  fee  of  $2.00  per  program  we 
use.  This  payment  gives  us  the  nonexclusive  right  to  use  that  program  in  any  form, 
world-wide.  This  means  you  can  still  use  it,  sell  it,  or  give  it  away,  and  so  can  we. 

We  will  consider  submissions  of  news  and  hardware  or  software  reviews.  Please 
keep  articles  short  (350-400  words).  Again,  we  reserve  the  right  to  edit  accepted 
articles  to  a  suitable  length.  We  will  pay  7  cents  per  6  characters,  including  spaces 
and  punctuation,  for  accepted  articles. 

When  you  send  in  programs  for  possible  publication  in  SYNTAX,  please 
include  the  following  information: 

•  How  to  operate  the  program,  including  what  to  input  if  it  does  not  contain 
prompts. 

•  Whether  you  can  run  the  program  over  again  and  how. 

•  How  to  exit  the  program. 

•  The  Syntactic  Sum  (using  the  Syntactic  Sum  program  in  the  February,  1981, 
issue). 

•  Whether  it  fits  in  IK  or  2K  RAM  (or  16K  when  available). 

•  Whether  it  uses  the  4K  or  8K  ROM. 

We  pay  for  this  explanatory  text  at  the  same  rate  as  for  articles  in  addition  to 
payment  for  the  program  itself. 

If  you  want  us  to  return  your  original  program  listing  or  article,  please  include 
a  self-addressed,  stamped  envelope.  Otherwise,  we  cannot  return  submitted  material. 


SOFTWARE:  Sinclair  ZX81  cassettes  # 
1,3,4  (new  factory  cass.)  12-ganies, 
3  B+H.  No  waiting!  $27,415-387-1161 

AFRICAN  PILOT : Program  mixes  advent¬ 
ure  &  business :You  battle  jungle  to 
keep  plane/profits  UP: Graphics!  $10 
EXCITING  FLIGHT  SIMULATION  PROGRAM: 
Takeoff,  land,  outrun/ dodge  hazard: 
Realtime  view : Plane/ Ins t rumen ts ! $10 
HENSLEY,  BOX  334,ASHEBORO  NC  27203 

Load  ZX80/81/MicroAce  everytime-LED 
Monitor.  Plans  $2+SASE;  Kit  $6+$l 
S6cH.  Hold  full  load  Ik  for  25+ 
min.  or  full  16k  for  10+  min.  if 
elec,  faulters  or  fails.  Plans  $5+ 
SASE;  Kit  $19.95  +$1  S&H.  R.H. 
Enterprises,  1408  N.4th  Ave.  E., 
Newton,  Ia--50208. 

SOFTWARE  -  -  -  SOFTWARE 
ZX80  -  ZX81 

Over  200  Programs  From  Physics  And 
Business  to  Games.  For  IK  and  16K 
List  price  from  $.05  and  Tape  price 
From  $2.10 

Send  $  1.00  for  Catalog  to: 
Detron  of  Hawaii 
2007  Naio  Street 
Honolulu,  Hawaii 
96817 

The  $  1.00  good  toward  purchase 


SYNTAX  ZX80  is  published 

monthly  by  a  wholly-owned 
subsidiary  of  The  Harvard  Group. 

Syntax  ZX80,  Inc. 

RD  2,  Box  457,  Harvard,  MA  01451. 

Telephone  617/456-3661. 

12  issues,  $29.  Single  issue,  $4. 

Publisher:  Kirtland  H.  Olson 
Editor:  Ann  L.  Zevnik 

Printed  by  Joseph  E.  Marhefka,  Jr. 

Clinton  Offset  Printers 
Clinton,  MA  01510 

©  Syntax  ZX80,  Inc.,  1981.  All 
rights  reserved.  Photocopying 
prohibited.  ISSN  0273-2696 


YES!  Please  send  me  12  issues  of  SYNTAX  for  $29. 

□  My  check  for  $29  is  enclosed.  □  Please  charge  my  □  MasterCard 
Make  checks  payable  to:  □  Diner’s  Club  □  American  Express 

SYNTAX  ZX80,  INC.  □  VISA  □  Carte  Blanche  account 

{ 

account  number _ ’  _ 

exp.  date _ bank  number  (MC  only) _ 

signature _ 

Name _ Title _ 

Organization _ 

Address _ _ 

City _ State _ Zip _ 

Day  Phone_( _ ) _ Evening  Phone_( _ ) _ 

ZX817S 

I  own  a  □  Sinclair  ZX80  □  Sinclair  ZX81  Telephone  orders  call 

617-456-3661 


23 


FINALLY-A  BATTERY  BACKUP  SUPPLY  for 
your  Sinclair  or  MicroAce  computer. 

^1-  ..»-  -J^ 

/\  /\  /\  /v  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /V  /\  /V  /V 

''END  LOST  MEMORY  DUE  TO  BLACKOUTS!'^ 

/V  y'VfVrV'/VVfVoV /V /VVf  Vf  * /V*V<- •/'<•*** 

''Built-in  NiCd  rechargable  battery 
takes  over  should  AC  line  go  dead. 
''Makes  your  ZX80/81  truly  portable 
-run  for  2hrs .  or  more  ANYWHERE! 

*  Vastly  improves  Glitch-rejection. 
*8V  pre- regulator  lets  your  ZX  run 

cooler,  with  less  chance  of  damage 

*^1-.  *-•-  *-*-•  *■*--  *-’•'*  ■>•’-*  *-*■* 

/\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /V  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /V  /\  /\  /V  /V  /\  /V  /V  /V  /\  /\  /V  /V  /\ 

Don't  get  annoyed  by  a  sudden  crash 
before  you  order  yours .  Mail  check 
or  MO  for  $84.50  ppd. ,  or  send  SASE 
for  specs  and  info.  Cal.  residents 
add  67o  sales  tax.  Model  No.  BBU-2 

- SYNCWARE  COMPANY - 

4825  Elrovia  Av.  El  Monte, Ca.  91732 
*First  50  orders  or  inquiries  get* 
'■'FREE  copy  of  our  "Syncwars"  pgm.  1* 

16K  from  GREAT  LAKES  SOFTWARE  I 
All  new  software  including  games. 
Business  applications  and  muchmore. 
Also,  16K  RAM  module  now  available 
Write  for  FREE  catalog  to : 

Great  Lakes  Software, 201  Burlington 
Road,  Valparaiso,  IN  46383 

''*  Double  your  memory  **  Run  longer 
Programs  with  easy  to  install  kit, 
complete  &• instructions  only  $19.95 
+1.95  -  Rebates!  Order  today.  Power 
tronix  25  E.23  Bayonne, N.J.  07002 


H\RV\RD 

GRDU^ 

Bolton  Road.  Harvard,  Mass.  01451 


MORE  GAMES  FOR  YOUR  ZX81. . . 

Five  IK  programs . $10. 

Bandit,  Chase,  Life,  Pong,  Skeet. 


Any  two  16K  programs 
Bong 

Checkbook 
Solitaire 
Biorhythm 
Backgammon 
Cat  and  Mouse 
Guess  the  Animal 


. $10. 

Craps 
Hangman 
Checkers 
Blackjack 
Stock  Market 
Klingon  Wars 
3K  TicTacToe 


--  all  programs  on  cassette  tape  -- 


Send  check  or  money  order  to : 


BIOCAL  SOFTWARE 


340  Cypress  Drive 
Fairfax,  CA.  94930 


ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX''ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX 
''BANT A  SOFTWARE  NOW  HAS  PACK  'EM  * 
*IN  MONZXER  for  $6.95  on  tape. Gob-* 
*ble  up  dots, avoid  goblins; for  80s* 
*or  81s . Football , Murder  in  the  RAM* 
*Casino,  and  Super  Monzxer  on  tape* 
*:$3.95  each.  From  our  engineering* 
*dpt:Beam  Design  &  Pipe  Flow$19.95* 
*each. Coming  soon: TANK  SIGHT- BANTA* 
''SOFTWARE,  RD#7,  Bethlehem,  PA  18015  * 


ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX*ZX 


V«VVf****VfVc+V<'>'oV-;V'5'oV>VV<-VoVVc'V*VoVVf*>V>V*Vc+++>V 

Need  freelance  help  to  develope  a 
very  low  cost  ZX  printer.  Todd 
Miles,  AArtic  Mfg. ,  Inc  27  Canal 
St.,  Millbury,  Mass.  01527. 

■/VVc /VVc  /VVc /V-/V /V-/V /V  -jV /V  VoV  * /V-zV/WcVc  Vc /VVcVc  Vc  *  * /V'/V'/V 


First  Class 


U.S.  Postage 
PAID 

Harvard,  MA 
Permit  No.  8 
■  01451